Oct 27, 2026 · Studio
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Read article → Provence · Paris · New York — Available for 2026 commissions
Richard Benesti
Paints memory with light
Contemporary French painter exploring the fragile border between landscape and recollection. Large-scale oils, pigments from Roussillon ochres, and 27 years of silent observation. Welcome to the official studio archive.
Light — Memory — Landscape ✦ Oil — Pigment — Silence ✦ Provence — Paris — New York ✦ Light — Memory — Landscape ✦ Oil — Pigment — Silence ✦
01 — About the artist
The man who
collects sunsets
Richard Benesti (b. 1971, Avignon) is a visual artist whose work has been described as “Rothko meeting the Mediterranean”. His canvases layer translucent glazes, ash, beeswax and natural pigments to capture vanishing light.
Atelier Benesti
Gordes, Luberon — since 2008
See worksGordes, Luberon — since 2008
“I don’t paint what I see. I paint what remains after I close my eyes. A hill, a cypress, a late August heat — all dissolved, only warmth stays.”
Trained at École des Beaux-Arts d’Avignon and later in New York under abstract expressionist circles, Benesti developed his signature “veil technique”: up to 40 thin layers of oil, each dried for weeks, sanded, then re-covered. The result vibrates — paintings change with daylight.
27Years painting
140Major canvases
32Solo exhibitions
18Museum collections
1998 — 2004
Early dark period in Paris. Charcoal, tar, large formats. First sale to private Swiss collection.
Early dark period in Paris. Charcoal, tar, large formats. First sale to private Swiss collection.
2008 — 2015
Return to Provence. Ochre quarries of Roussillon become palette. Veil technique born.
Return to Provence. Ochre quarries of Roussillon become palette. Veil technique born.
2019 — 2026
International recognition. Shows in Paris, London, New York. Light & Memory retrospective touring.
International recognition. Shows in Paris, London, New York. Light & Memory retrospective touring.
02 — Selected works 2023-2026
Canvases that breathe
Six emblematic pieces. Each is oil, pigment and cold wax on linen, 180×200 cm unless noted. All available for museum loan or private acquisition via studio.
2026 — N°147
Evening over Luberon
2025 — N°139
Mistral Memory
2025 — N°136
Ashes of August
2024 — N°128
White Heat, Gordes
2024 — N°124
Night Olive Trees
2023 — N°119
First Light, Roussillon
03 — Process & philosophy
40 layers.
One silence.
Pigment
Earth as colour
Benesti grinds his own colours from ochre cliffs, lavender ash and marble dust. No industrial black — only vine charcoal and deep umber. Each canvas starts with a walk, a handful of earth, a note in a sketchbook.
Veil technique
Painting time itself
Thin veils, drying, sanding, re-painting. A single work takes 4 to 11 months. Collectors say the paintings “move” during the day — morning pink, noon white, evening amber. That is time trapped in oil.
04 — Exhibitions
Where to see
the light
2026
Light & Memory — Retrospective
Grand Palais, Paris · March — June · 42 canvases, new monumental triptych 6m
InviteGrand Palais, Paris · March — June · 42 canvases, new monumental triptych 6m
2025
Ochre Silence
Malmö Konsthall, Sweden · Solo · Catalogue with essay by L. Marchand
CatalogMalmö Konsthall, Sweden · Solo · Catalogue with essay by L. Marchand
2024
Mistral
New York, Chelsea — First US solo, sold out in 3 days
ArchiveNew York, Chelsea — First US solo, sold out in 3 days
2023
Atelier Ouvert, Gordes
Annual open studio — 2,400 visitors, live painting performance
VisitAnnual open studio — 2,400 visitors, live painting performance
05 — Studio journal / News
Latest notes & news
Studio diaries, exhibition announcements, technique essays. Click any story to read the full article.
06 — Collect / Contact
Own a piece
of Provence light
Commissions for 2026 are open — only 4 slots. Museum loans, private views in Gordes, price list on request. Write directly to the studio, answer within 48h.
Request catalogue
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