The colors and fast, obstreperous rhythm of Francoise Nielly’s paintings are inspired by urban life. She thrives in dynamic and edgy environments, drawing from their energy for her work. The synergy of colors, the fusion of people in a hurry amid the haunting juxtaposition of light and dark, public and private, one’s self and the others around, penetrates her works. Nielly relishes extremes: contrasts in race, lifestyle and personality. She is continually inspired by observing different types of people thriving together.

Nielly works by deconstructing the subjects of her portraits instinctively, translating her reaction to a face into a series of quick, primal, even violent strokes of the knife. Nielly relishes wild fluorescent colors, working quickly with a palette knife to achieve an unstudied effect. She works in the vibrant but traditional medium of oil, which allows her to achieve brazen tones and fiery contrasts. For her, painting is an “intense experience, desirable and formidable. It’s a combination of conflicting and complementary internal movements; excitement, anxiety, pleasure, vertigo, attraction, doubt and acceleration.
Her arresting palette and audacious style have invigorated other fields of design. In 2007, Nielly collaborated with the with French cosmetics manufacturer, Givenchy, to launch the Artycolor collection. Nicolas Degennes, Givenchy’s Artist Director of Make-up developed a line of cosmetics with bold hues that simulated those of graffiti art, like Nielly’s. She also designed Lipstick, a Women’s Snowboard Collection for Burton Snowboards in 2010. Most recently, Nielly partnered with the international auto manufacture, Citroën to design a painting used to launch the Citroën Survolt Concept Car unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010.

Francoise Nielly was born in Marseille in France. She grew up near Cannes and Saint Tropez on the Cote d’Azur, immersed in a world of vivid colors and textures illuminated by the brilliant Mediterranean light. She has lived in Vancouver, New York and many other European cities but has now settled in a studio in Montmartre, Paris. Her work has been exhibited in Paris, New York, Singapore, Miami, Barcelona, Monaco and Montreal. It has also been presented at the Palm Beach International Art Fair, AAF London, the Moscow Art Fair and numerous other international venues.