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A Symphony of Petals: The Nature-Inspired Art of Claire Basler

Discover the enchanting world of artist Claire Basler as she expresses nature's beauty through her unbridled brush and deep connections to home

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In the realm of art, there are those who create and those who transcend what they create—becoming one with both canvas and subject. French artist Claire Basler unequivocally belongs to the latter category. Her art isn’t just a display of skill but a manifestation of her intimate connection with nature and her untainted approach to painting.

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The work and technique of French artist Claire Basler have consistently matured and evolved over the last four decades.

Basler’s artistic journey began under the nurturing guidance of her father, an architect blessed with impeccable taste and the ability to spark creativity in his children. “He possessed an incredible eye and nurtured that artistic sense in us,” Basler says. This early exposure laid the foundation for her own creative path.

Basler’s education later took an unconventional turn in art school when she discovered she couldn’t follow the prevailing conceptualism trends in France. “I quickly realized the need to safeguard myself and my art from those influences,” she says.

Basler left the school after one year and embarked on a personal exploration of art, wandering through Paris’s museums and drawing inspiration from the paintings of Klimt, Manet, Caravaggio, and others.

“Observation is, and always has been, critical to my work,” she says.

The ever-present muse of Beauvoir

Central to Basler’s artistic evolution is Château de Beauvoir, a magnificent estate in central France sprawling across 22 hectares of lush greenery—an enchanting sanctuary that has become her home and creative haven.

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For more than five years, Basler and her head gardener have sculpted beautiful perennial gardens on Château de Beauvoir’s 22-hectare estate.

Prior to Beauvoir, she resided and worked in a Parisian suburb where the interplay of light in her loft cultivated her affection for painting flowers. This passion later deepened during her time spent in the countryside, where she honed the art of creating monumental mural paintings inspired by idyllic nature themes. She then found Château de Beauvoir.

“When we first entered Beauvoir 13 years ago, it had stood partially ruined and abandoned for four decades,” she says. Yet, amid the neglect, she and her husband Pierre saw the untapped potential within its grounds. They transformed Beauvoir into their very own “playground of inventiveness and creativity,” a space where Basler’s floral art could blossom.

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Basler’s larger-than-life, nature-inspired paintings fill the walls of Beauvoir, the castle the French artist and her husband have called home for over a decade. 

“The initial step upon our arrival was to cultivate a garden from scratch,” she says. Over the five years that followed, Basler and her head gardener sculpted the grounds into a vision of beauty—a perennial garden that flourishes even in the winters.

“The garden has evolved into its current state, which is much freer and more natural. We envisioned a garden that would be lovely even during the winter, so we introduced Japanese maples because even without leaves they look really beautiful,” Basler says.

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Flowers are one of Basler’s favourite themes, especially varieties like irises and poppies, which are better suited for her paintbrush.

The establishment of the garden at Beauvoir not only cultivated a visual spectacle but also became an endless wellspring of inspiration for her artistic endeavours. “The iris, for instance, has had beautiful seasons recently, inspiring numerous paintings. Looking at an iris is like engaging in a soul-to-soul conversation,” Basler says.

Evolving artistry

Throughout her four-decade-long career, Basler’s artistry has continued to evolve. “With age and experience, I find myself working faster, but in reality I’m still learning and developing my technique,” she says. The development of her work has, in fact, been a slow, deliberate process, marked by moments of discomfort and growth.

One of the most challenging projects she undertook was a mural at the NoMad Hotel in Covent Garden, London. “I’d go out on a limb to say this was one of the most uncomfortable things I’ve done in my career so far,” Basler says.

The project’s immense scale, coupled with unfavourable lighting conditions, compelled her to paint from memory and dig deep into her experience and knowledge of colours. “Technically, I learned so many things from that project,” she says. “It was a transformative experience that was very liberating, allowing me to approach art with newfound freedom.”

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Natural light plays a crucial role in Basler’s work, and a generous amount of it floods into Beauvoir.

Basler’s developing maturity also gave her a sense of calm—a willingness to simplify and convey softness. “I want to be able to make people understand that softness can be very powerful,” she says. “I have simplified everything in my life to be able to express softness.”

This appreciation for simplicity has been an important part of Basler’s growing process. “I’m now at that age where I want to benefit completely from the maturity of my work,” she says.

From Basler’s formative years immersed in her father’s architectural world to the revered halls of museums where she absorbed the mastery of artistic luminaries, and ultimately to the tranquil grounds of Château Beauvoir, each chapter has shaped her art in profound ways and will likely continue to do so in the time to come.

This story is from Magnifissance Issue 125

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