Evelyne Ballestra

Born in 1949. Fréjus, France

French artist Evelyne Ballestra studied painting in the South of France before moving to Switzerland where she met her mentor, Rolf Dürig, a master of the expressionist movement. Her paintings strive to communicate a subjective, phenomenological portrait of reality, combining sensory and emotional experience. This radically idiosyncratic and evocative style articulates human spirituality as a relationship between inner experience and nature.

Ballestra’s work draws from multiple cultures, inspired by her world travels, most specifically: Egypt, Latin America, Asia and the Indian Ocean. Her approach to signs and symbols evokes esoteric spiritually as well as her passion for the ancient past and human origins. Her work questions beginnings, and uses visual elements to evoke emotions and connect to a deeper, timeless spiritual essence.

Following her studies with Dürig, Ballestra began experimenting with bright colors, satiny materials and forms. Her work is reminiscent of the Fauvist movement, using highly intense color patterns. Her large canvases filled with vibrating color combinations allude to the post-Impressionist approaches of Paul Gauguin, Vincent Van Gogh and Henri Matisse.

Since 1974, Ballestra has exhibited widely throughout Europe, Asia and the United States, including numerous solo exhibitions.