Born in 1952 in Bourg en Bresse, François Vanaret chose technical studies, but he already displayed a strong penchant for drawing. With a long standing passion for cars, acquired from a childhood surrounded by Dinky-toys and Solidos and with sketches of automobiles in his schoolbooks, it was only natural that this passion continued to drive him after a professional career focused on earth and nature. Today, in the Laugarais region near Toulouse, François Vanaret is fulfilling his artistic goal.
A coincidence? The artist was born on the day the Paris Automobile Show opened; the year Bugatti participated at the event for the last time and the famous French car bodywork subsequently disappeared. This “Haute Couture” of French cars would be his key focus. Portraying cars on canvas, as you would display them on a podium, the lights of projectors highlighting their bodywork.
Inevitably, Bugatti seemed predestined to become the artist’s favourite subject. At the National Automobile Museum in Mulhouse, François Vanaret saw the Bugatti Royale Coupé Napoleon and the Esders Roadster: a key moment during the development of his passion.
His commitment does not stop there. The work is the result of fifteen years of meticulous research. He visited many “Concours d’Elegance” and motoring heritage events, where he could come face to face with Haute Couture models, and diligently gathered the technical characteristics, the history and origin of each model; thus creating a unique library of motoring heritage.
Drawing and then painting cars, beyond their form, tells the story of a creator, a legendary model, a magical moment inscribed in the outline of the bodywork, and then the history. Through his paintings François Vanaret seeks to prove that French bodywork should be valued for its craftsmanship and international artistic heritage, and thus designated by UNESCO, an approach supported by the French Federation of Classic Cars.
The works of François Vanaret can be found in many collections across Europe and in the United States. He has also created posters for Villa d’Este, the Brussels Retrofestival, the Hong Kong Imperial Rally and also the Techno Classica Essen.
>> View the works in the exhibition
François Vanaret talks about the art of bodywork, the key source of inspiration for his work (video in French).