French artist Geoffroy Pithon has been selected for Artsy's prestigious Vanguard 2026 list, recognizing him as one of the most promising contemporary artists poised to become future leaders in art and culture. The 37-year-old self-taught painter, who only established himself as an artist in 2021, is making waves in the art world with his unconventional approach to painting and his genre-defying creative practice.
Pithon's unique relationship with his artwork was evident during a recent studio visit in Nantes, France, where he casually walked across a large abstract painting spread out on his floor. "As long as the work hasn't left the studio, anything can happen," he explained, demonstrating his non-traditional view that painting is not something sacred. This philosophy reflects his broader artistic approach that challenges conventional boundaries between disciplines.
The artist, who is represented by MAĀT Gallery in Paris, entered the art world through what he calls "the side door." Before becoming an artist, Pithon worked as a graphic designer, and his painting practice is entirely self-taught. His career in fine arts emerged from experimentation and chance rather than formal academic training, marking an unusual but successful path in the contemporary art world.
Currently, Pithon is showcasing his work in two significant exhibitions. His show "Botanique Murmure" at MAĀT Gallery features a collection of watercolors inspired by photographs he took of gardens and runs through November 11th. Additionally, he is preparing for his first solo museum exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chengdu, China, which opened on November 6th, representing a major milestone in his rapidly ascending career.
Pithon's artistic practice centers around what he calls "graphic experiments" rather than traditional painting or graphic design. These large-scale, saturated abstract works are created on blue-back paper that he glues together and covers with geometric shapes using his masterful color palette. "Paper is one of the tools of a graphic designer. Since I hadn't learned academic painting on canvas with oils, I painted on what I knew, which was paper," Pithon explained.
The artist identifies more strongly with the term "artist" than "painter," reflecting his multidisciplinary approach. "And from time to time, from this movement, which is like a continuous intellectual windmill, things escape," he said. These "things" include gallery exhibitions, site-specific projects for public art centers, theater production sets, brand collaborations, and video commissions. His enthusiasm for the boundless nature of his practice is infectious, resembling a pioneer energized by unlimited possibilities.
Pithon draws inspiration from genre-defying creatives who move seamlessly across disciplines, including Nathalie Du Pasquier, Oskar Schlemmer, and Pablo Picasso. His artistic journey began in his hometown of Angers, France, a provincial town in the Loire Valley, where he was raised by a doctor and an astrologer in a scientifically minded family.
Music has been and remains a fundamental influence in both his life and artistic practice. Pithon found his initial connection to creative expression and visual culture through the 2000s punk and hardcore music scene, where he also played in bands. "It was my first connection to visual artistic culture and is what made me want to pursue design, because when you're in a band, you're making the album cover and the flyers for the shows, and without realizing it, you're doing a bit of art direction and graphic design," he recalled.
During his studies at the prestigious École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, where he graduated in 2012, Pithon began creating posters with a design collective called Formes Vives. The trio became known for their cut-paper forms, bold blocks of flat color, and hand-drawn typography. Over time, Pithon started experimenting by painting on the posters with ink, gradually transitioning toward more artistic expression.
Recognizing a burning desire to turn his practice toward something more artistic in nature, Pithon taught himself to paint by studying videos of renowned artists Willem de Kooning and Cy Twombly. This self-directed education laid the foundation for his eventual transition from commercial design to fine art.
Following an artist residency in eastern France, Pithon had his first exhibition appearance in a group show in 2019. This was followed by a series of site-specific public installations across Belgium and France, including "Cabine," his first solo exhibition held at L'Espale, Scène nationale du Mans in 2021. This pivotal show would define his artistic practice and serve as what he now calls his "manifesto."
In "Cabine," Pithon introduced a spatial, experiential component where his large-scale paintings hung like wallpaper panels from ceiling to floor, covering walls and floors to create an immersive, booth-like environment. "I want my paintings to be an act, not an image; images are difficult to inhabit. I want to allow viewers to connect with recollections, memories, and sensations, for the work to invite wonder in a visual sense, but also a physiological one," he explained.
Pithon's innovative approach soon caught the attention of luxury brand Hermès, which commissioned him to create a series of event installations. Since then, he has worked on larger-scale projects with prestigious brands including Sézane and Atelier de Cologne. Importantly, he views his commercial work as equal in value to the artwork he produces for MAĀT Gallery, applying the same creative standards to both.
"The question I always ask myself before accepting a project is: Will it feed my practice, advance my research? Will I be able to learn things, or try something new?" Pithon said, demonstrating his thoughtful approach to balancing commercial and artistic work.
The artist's creative process is characterized by constant experimentation, whether tinkering with work digitally, mocking up installations, scanning paintings, or reworking existing pieces. He rarely begins with a blank page, instead starting with digital prints of rough computer sketches, hand-drawn pencil guidelines, or salvaging efficient parts from large-format works created for site-specific installations. This approach to reusing and reworking his own materials is similar to musical sampling, except "instead of sampling from another artist, I am sampling from my own work," he explained.
Color plays a particularly central role in Pithon's practice, with his kaleidoscopic hues stemming from a silkscreen design course he took at university. He compared discovering this color approach to "Dylan going electric," describing it as a course-changing moment for his artistic development. While known for his vibrant palette, Pithon has also experimented with reduced color schemes as a means of challenging himself, such as in his "Carmina Paginata" series, which employed only red hues.
Currently, Pithon is in the process of moving to a new studio in Nantes, a city he prefers over Paris due to its proximity to nature and separation from what he calls "the froth of the art world." This location allows him to maintain focus on his work without concerns about competition, reflecting his independent artistic philosophy.
For Geoffroy Pithon, competition is irrelevant. He operates in his own creative lane, in constant motion and pursuit of new frontiers in his work, whether exploring new mediums, materials, or scales. Rather than following in anyone's footsteps, he continues charting his own unique path in the contemporary art world, earning his place among the most promising artists of his generation.
