Roger Bonafé – Clermont-Ferrand

Roger Bonafé was born on August 30, 1932, in Caux, in the Hérault region of France.
When he arrived in Paris in the second half of the 1950s, he lived in the very heart of Montmartre. There, he mingled with the painters of the “Butte,” notably Gen Paul, and later Lorjou, Jansem, and others. That was the turning point: he would become a painter.

In the early 1960s, a very distinctive style began to appear on the walls of galleries in Montpellier, where Bonafé had just settled. Whether painting landscapes or still lifes, his style was simple and precise. His palette was rich and warm, featuring reds, oranges, and luminous greens.

1988 marked a pivotal year for him.
That year, he met René Chabannes, director of Galerie Christiane Vallé. He himself said: “It was the encounter that marked the beginning of an international career.”
From then on, exhibitions followed one after another: in the Republic of China, South Korea, Japan, New York, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Australia, and of course across Europe—Geneva, Zurich, London, and Barcelona.

Roger Bonafé, who never abandoned figurative art, offers powerful paintings based on a very personal interpretation of reality.
“I paint my region, with the elements that best tell its story: cypresses, pines, ponds, the sea, vineyards, farmhouses—just as I once painted the streets and squares around the Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre. I make full use of nature, that’s for sure, but if I need to move an element for the sake of the composition, and that’s what I want to do, I move it.”

In 2002, his retrospective at the Château de Val made a strong impression—it unsettled, charmed, and dazzled visitors.
In the background, the château was brought to life by the presence of a woman in a large red hat, elegant in posture, and radiant in color.

Roger Bonafé once said:
“I believe that work creates talent.”