Robert Combas — Figuration Libre
Birth: Lyon, France
Training: Beaux-Arts de Montpellier
Movement: Figuration Libre
Artistic Journey
Robert Combas grew up in Sète and developed a taste for drawing at an early age. At the Beaux-Arts de Montpellier, he positioned himself against conceptual and minimalist currents, favoring figurative, expressive, and popular painting. In the 1980s, he co-founded the Figuration Libre movement with Hervé Di Rosa, drawing energy from comics, graffiti, rock music, and mass culture. His works, saturated with bright colors and populated with characters, combine humor, social critique, and festive energy. Quickly recognized in France and internationally, he exhibits in major museums and galleries, becoming an emblematic figure of contemporary painting.
Major Works
Le Pianiste (The Pianist) (1989) – Vibrant and exuberant musical scene.
Je suis la plus jolie (I Am the Prettiest) (1983) – Colorful satire on the obsession with appearance.
Dans un Champ de Blé (In a Wheat Field) (1986) – Dense composition where nature and figures merge.
La Belle Verte et Daniel le Violonnoeud (The Green Beauty and Daniel the Fiddleknot) (1995) – Fantastical and colorful scene with playful accents.
Style and Influences
Bold strokes, black outlines, vibrant colors.
Influences: comics, graffiti, popular culture, rock music, Art Brut, Cobra, Naïve Art.
Subject: the human figure at the center, often in scenes of celebration, chaos, sexuality, and social satire.
Quote
“I paint exuberant life.”
