Biography
(ENG)
Jean Boghossian, a multidisciplinary abstract Belgian artist of Lebanese-Armenian origins, is known for his unique use of fire and smoke in his artworks. Born in 1949 in Aleppo into a family of jewelers, he worked in the family business while studying Economics and Sociology at the University of Saint-Joseph in Beirut. The Lebanese Civil War in 1975 forced him to relocate to Belgium.
In Belgium, Boghossian's passion for art flourished. He enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Boitsfort, Uccle, while continuing his involvement in the family jewelry business. His artistic journey took a distinctive path in 1988 when he began to explore the use of fire in his artworks. This method, involving deliberate burn degradation, became a hallmark of his style, symbolizing a dynamic interplay between destruction and regeneration.
Boghossian's process involves a search for harmony amid the chaotic nature of flames and smoke, engaging in a “fire dance” until the right balance is achieved. This approach aligns him with artists like Burri, Fontana, Pollock, Klein, and Kounellis.
In 1992, he co-founded the Boghossian Foundation at Villa Empain in Brussels with his brother and father, reflecting his commitment to the arts and cosmopolitan identity.
Globally, Boghossian is one of the few artists who experiments by applying fire and smoke to various works. Fire, his artistic language of choice, is used through a wide array of torches. Having transitioned more than a decade ago towards abstraction, Boghossian's art may evoke a contemporary view on the Zero-movement and Fluxus, although he claims not to belong to any artistic movement.
Boghossian applies fire to various mediums, including canvas, paper, books, and plastics, often creating perforated patterns. His paintings and drawings incorporate a variety of materials like watercolor, charcoal, oil, pigments, and acrylic paint, utilizing techniques such as folding, collage, and uprooting. His sculptures, made from materials like wood, polystyrene, clay, marble, and bronze, are also sometimes exposed to flame. Recently, he expanded into ceramics, further showcasing his artistic adaptability and creativity.
Boghossian has exhibited widely in recent years. In 2022, his exhibitions included the Bentley Art Car Course in Brussels and “Melencolia Contemporanea” in Venice. In 2023, he was featured in “The Sea is Green” hosted by SBM and at Opera Gallery in Monaco. His “The Language of Fire – Flaming Imaginary” exhibition at Villa Zito's Pinacoteca and other various locations in Palermo highlighted his socio-cultural, geopolitical, and ecological awareness. Jean Boghossian continues to be a significant figure in contemporary art, living and working between Brussels and Monaco, and leaving an indelible mark with his fiery artistic language.
A notable highlight of Boghossian's career was representing the Pavilion of the Republic of Armenia at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017. His exhibition, “Fiamma Inestinguibile,” curated by Bruno Corà, showcased his distinct fire-based artworks.
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(FR)
Jean Boghossian, artiste belge abstrait multidisciplinaire d'origine libano-arménienne, est reconnu pour son utilisation unique du feu et de la fumée dans ses œuvres. Né en 1949 à Alep dans une famille de bijoutiers, il a travaillé dans l'entreprise familiale tout en étudiant l'Économie et la Sociologie à l'Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth. La guerre civile libanaise en 1975 l'a contraint à se déplacer en Belgique.
En Belgique, la passion de Boghossian pour l'art s'est épanouie. Il s'est inscrit à l'Académie des Beaux-Arts de Boitsfort, Uccle, tout en continuant son implication dans l'affaire de bijouterie familiale. Son parcours artistique a pris un chemin distinctif en 1988 lorsqu'il a commencé à explorer l'utilisation du feu dans ses œuvres. Cette méthode, impliquant une dégradation par brûlure délibérée, est devenue une marque de son style, symbolisant un jeu dynamique entre destruction et régénération.
Le processus de Boghossian implique une recherche d'harmonie au milieu de la nature chaotique des flammes et de la fumée, s'engageant dans une "danse du feu" jusqu'à ce que l'équilibre correct soit atteint. Cette approche l'aligne avec des artistes comme Burri, Fontana, Pollock, Klein et Kounellis.
En 1992, il a co-fondé la Fondation Boghossian à la Villa Empain à Bruxelles avec son frère et son père, reflétant son engagement envers les arts et son identité cosmopolite.
À l'échelle mondiale, Boghossian est l'un des rares artistes qui expérimente en appliquant le feu et la fumée à diverses œuvres. Le feu, son langage artistique de choix, est utilisé à travers un large éventail de torches. Ayant effectué la transition vers l'abstraction il y a plus d'une décennie, l'art de Boghossian peut évoquer une vision contemporaine du mouvement Zéro et du Fluxus, bien qu'il affirme ne pas appartenir à un mouvement artistique spécifique.
Boghossian applique le feu à divers supports, y compris la toile, le papier, les livres et les plastiques, créant souvent des motifs perforés. Ses peintures et dessins incorporent une variété de matériaux tels que l'aquarelle, le fusain, l'huile, les pigments et la peinture acrylique, utilisant des techniques telles que le pliage, le collage et le déracinement. Ses sculptures, faites de matériaux comme le bois, le polystyrène, l'argile, le marbre et le bronze, sont également parfois exposées à la flamme. Récemment, il s'est étendu à la céramique, démontrant davantage son adaptabilité artistique et sa créativité.
Boghossian a largement exposé ces dernières années. En 2022, ses expositions incluaient le Bentley Art Car Course à Bruxelles et “Melencolia Contemporanea” à Venise. En 2023, il a été présenté dans “The Sea is Green” accueilli par SBM et à la Galerie Opera à Monaco. Son exposition “The Language of Fire – Flaming Imaginary” à la Pinacothèque Villa Zito et d'autres divers lieux à Palerme a souligné sa conscience socio-culturelle, géopolitique et écologique. Jean Boghossian continue d'être une figure importante de l'art contemporain, vivant et travaillant entre Bruxelles et Monaco, et laissant une marque indélébile avec son langage artistique enflammé.
Un moment notable de la carrière de Boghossian a été de représenter le Pavillon de la République d'Arménie à la 57e Biennale de Venise en 2017. Son exposition, “Fiamma Inestinguibile,” sous la curation de Bruno Corà, a présenté ses œuvres d'art distinctives basées sur le feu.
Jean BOGHOSSIAN - CV
Solo Exhibitions
| Gallery Shows
2024
Anima Gallery | Flames | Doha, Qatar
Nosbaum Reding Gallery | Smoke Signals | Luxembourg
N Gallery | Seoul - Korea
2023
Mark Hachem Gallery | Unveiling the Elemental | Paris, France
Boon Gallery | Making Waves | Knokke, Belgium
Opera Gallery | Jean Boghossian | Monaco
Société des Bains de Mer | The Sea is Green | Jardin des Boulingrins, Monaco
2022
Gallerie Il Ponte | Antinomia Ardente | Florence, Italy
2019
Gallery Tanit | About Nature & Colours | Munich, Germany
2018
Galerie Valérie Bach | Rythmes & Matières | Brussels, Belgium
Galerie Pièce Unique | Rhapsody in Red and Blue | Paris, France
Cardi Gallery | Jean Boghossian | London, United Kingdom
Ayyam Gallery | Unpredictable Horizons | United Arab Emirates
2014
Black Box Bis Gallery | Secrète Architecture | Brussels, Belgium
2012
Black Box Bis Gallery | À l'Epreuve du feu | Brussels, Belgium
| Hotels
2023 - 2024
Steigenberger Hotels | Steigenberger Wiltcher's Hotel | Brussels, Belgium
Hôtel Hermitage | Monte-Carlo, Monaco
2023
Rocco Forte Hotels | Villa Igiea | Parlermo, Sicily
2022 - 2023
Mandarin Oriental Hotel | Opera Gallery ft. Jean Boghossian | Paris, France
2020 - 2023
Mandarin Oriental Hotel | Geneva, Switzerland
2018 – 2024
Rocco Forte Hotels | Amigo | Brussels, Belgium
| Museums & Institutions
2024
Wittockiana, The Museum of Book Arts and Bookbinding | Abstract Writings, Abstract Thoughts | Brussels, Belgium
UBP, Union Bancaire Privée | Monaco
2023
Fondazione Sicilia & Fondazione Sebastiano Tusa | The Language of Fire, Flaming Imaginary | Villa Zito, Palermo, Sicily
SBM | The Sea is Green | Monte-Carlo, Monaco
2022
Bentley Art Car Course | Brussels, Belgium
Matenadaran | Dialogue | Yerevan, Armenia
Compagnia della Vela | Melencolia Contemporanea | Venice, Italy
Mazarine Variations | Jean Boghossian | Paris, France
2021
Wilford X | Jean Boghossian at Wilford X | Temse, Belgium
Guy Ledune | Recent Works | Brussels, Belgium
2020
Wilford X | Jean Boghossian at Wilford X | Temse, Belgium
Feuerspuren | part of the artistic project Sichtweisen, Burgkirche | Friedberg, Germany
2019
Wooyang Museum of Contemporary Art | Flamme Intérieure| Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
United Nations Ofce | Cessez le feu!| Geneva, Switzerland
2018
Museum Ground | Flamme intérieure | Republic of Korea
L'Orient Le Jour | Building with Fire | Beirut, Lebanon
National Gallery of Armenia | Fiamma Inestinguibile II | Yerevan, Armenia
2017
The 57th Venice Biennale | Fiamma Inestinguibile | Armenian National Pavilion | Venice, Italy
Musée d'Ixelles | Traces Sensibles | Brussels, Belgium
2015
Beirut Exhibition Center | Tra due Fuochi | Beirut, Lebanon
2013
Wittockiana, The Museum of Book Arts and Bookbinding, Library | Le Très Doux Feu du Dedans | Brussels, Belgium
2011
Beirut Exhibition Center | Burning | Beirut, Lebanon
2006 - 2010
Black Box Galerie | Various Exhibitions | Belgium
Group Exhibitions
| Gallery Shows & Art Fairs
2024
Boon Gallery | Brafa Art Fair | Brussels, Belgium
2023
Anima Gallery | Eruption | Doha, Qatar
N Gallery | Art Busan | South Korea
Boon Gallery | Brafa Art Fair | Brussels, Belgium
Sculptura Gallery | Sculptura Festival #1 | Brussels, Belgium
Boghossian Jewels | TEFAF | Maastricht, Netherlands
2022
Boon Gallery | Brafa Art Fair | Brussels, Belgium
Galerie Tanit | Menart Art Fair | Paris, France
Galerie Tanit | Contes, mythes et légendes | Beirut, Lebanon
2021
Galerie Valérie Bach | Art On Paper 2021 | Bozar, Brussels, Belgium
2020
Boon Gallery | Brafa Art Fair | Brussels, Belgium
2013
Agial Art Gallery | Abu Dhabi Art | Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
2012
Gallery Rivoli | Guy Ledune | Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium | ft. Jean Boghossian, Filip Francis, Philip Lumai, Imi Knoebel, Olivier Mosset, Gerhard Richter, Jan Schoonhoven,Dan Walsh
2009
Black Box Gallery | À plein tube sur la Lumière et la Couleur | Brussels, Belgium | ft. Cécile Bart, Jean Boghossian, Nigel Freake, Filip Francis, Aïda Kazarian, Olivier Mosset, Sarkis, Tilman, Michel Verjux
2008
Black Box Gallery | XXL Summer Group Show | Brussels, Belgium
| Museums & Institutes
2023
Boghossian Foundation | Armenia, Contemplating the Sacred | Villa Empain, Brussels, Belgium
Art D'Égypte | Forever is Now (If the Walls Could Talk, Citadel) | Cairo, Egypt
Square Armand Steurs | Exhibition of Monumental Sculptures | Brussels, Belgium
2022
Coutre | Floralies gantoises | Ghent, Belgium
2019
Boghossian Foundation | Ekphrasis | Villa Empain, Brussels, Belgium
2018
Varusschlacht Museum und Park Kalkriesse | 1914 – 1918: Not Then, Not Now, Not Ever! | Germany | ft. 31 international artists representing 31 countries, amongst Christian Boltanski, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Tony Cragg, Anish Kapoor, Hermann Nitsch, Kiki Smith
Square Armand Steurs | 26th Exhibition of Monumental Sculptures | Brussels, Belgium
InSitu and Land Art Brussels | Monumento | Brussels, Belgium | ft. Carlos Albert, Johan Baudart, Beppo, Pol Bury, Olivier Jean Caloin, Joël Canat
2015
Palazzo Vitelli | Au rendez-vous des Amis | Città di Castello, Italy | International exhibition-conference ft. 66 artists
Museo Archeologico di Atina e della Valle di Comino “G. Visacchi” | Sonoro Visiva, Esprienze di confine linguistico | Atina, Italy | ft. Bizhan Bassiri, Giuseppe Chiari, Jannis Kounellis, Daniele Lombardi, Renato Ranaldi, Carlo Rea
Fonds Erasme | Le Chat au Journal | Brussels, Belgium | ft. Jean Boghossian, Michaël Borremans, Isabelle de Borchgrave, Hervé Di Rosa, Gérard Garouste, Philippe Geluck, Karl Lagerfeld, Laurence Jenkell, Jean-Luc Moerman, François Schuiten, Pierre Soulages, Jeanne Susplugas, Yan Pei-Ming
2012
Youngeun Museum of Contemporary Art | Vers la lumière | Republic of Korea | ft. Jean Boghossian, Yves Charnay, Christiane Delaroux, Bang Hai Ja, Hong Soun, Pae Mi Kyung, Kim Soon Hee, Kim Gil Wong