A well-known French abstract artist, Fabienne Verdier was born in Paris, France in 1962. Rebellious by nature, Verdier graduated from her art school in Toulouse with a first-class degree in 1984, and was subsequently awarded a study grant to learn calligraphy in Chongqing as part of a student exchange program between the two cities. However, when she arrived at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing she discovered that calligraphy was not taught. Through grit and determination she managed to convince two former calligraphers to teach her, spending her spare time copying reproductions of famous Chinese texts. She stayed in China for ten years, winning research grants to continue studying, all the while absorbing the culture and travelling extensively throughout the country. These experiences and her training in calligraphy undoubtedly influenced her artistic direction, and gave her a unique perspective on the dynamic between Eastern and Western art. In 1989, in recognition of her accomplishments in calligraphy she was made a member of the National Calligraphers’ Association, the only foreign member, and invited the following year to take part in an international calligraphy exhibition at the National Art Museum in Beijing. In 1992, she returned to France, where she currently lives and works.
Alisan Fine Arts first exhibited Verdier’s works in 2014 as part of Le French May, showcasing a series of original prints made under the supervision of world-renowned French Master Printers Michel and Thérèse Caza who have worked with many great artists such as Calder, Chagall, Dali, Tàpies, Lichtenstein, Miro, Warhol and Zao Wou-ki. She was also included in the gallery’s group show Tracing the Brush: Transformed Text in the inaugural edition of Ink Asia in 2015, as well as a series of events in 2018 including calligraphic art "The Voice of the Brush Part 2" and Ink Asia in Hong Kong, and West Bund Art and Design Fair in Shanghai. Her works have been collected by the Musée National d’Art Moderne Centre Pompidou, Paris; Musée Cernuschi, Paris; Palais de l’Assemblée Nationale, Paris; Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, Paris; Chinese Ministry of Culture, Beijing; Honda Group, Tokyo, Japan.
