Biography
Valérie Le Meur was born in 1965 in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris. Since 2008, she has lived and worked in Gif-sur-Yvette, a suburb of Paris that lies between city and countryside. She trained under fine arts artists for more than 10 years to perfect her technique.
She is known for her figurative urban landscapes with a cinematic atmosphere.
Born in a large city, her work reflects her fascination with the noisy, overwhelming side of the city that hides deep loneliness.
This frenzy is evident in her detailed paintings of architecture and cityscapes.
The sense of solitude is understood through her barely sketched characters, who blend into the background.
The theatre, which she practiced for ten years starting in her adolescence, has had a major influence on her painting, particularly in her exploration of emotions, staging, and colour.
Painting is a medium of emotion that she can practice in solitude, in the calm of her studio, within her own bubble.
Since 2016, she has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions in the Paris region, London, and Tokyo, as well as in historic Parisian art salons such as the Salon des Artistes Français.
She has been a member of the Salon d'Automne, where she has been exhibiting since 2019.
Artistic Approach
Through her painting, Valérie Le Meur transforms the raw reality of the city with a play of colours and light, reminiscent of a Wes Anderson film.
In her urban landscapes, which are sometimes inspired by cinema, the artist allows us to create our own narrative, as she believes a painting should not just be viewed but experienced. Her style is recognizable by the raw, swift, and bold brushstrokes and successive acrylic layers.
Her technique of not completely covering the coloured base layer on the canvas gives her paintings a sense of freedom and speed that enhances the mystery and illusion.
Despite their vibrant colours, her works are neither naive nor simplistic. They often conceal an underlying message waiting to be deciphered. As Leonard Cohen, whom she likes to quote, said: "There’s always a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in."
Valérie Le Meur convoque des références littéraires, les fêtes galantes de Verlaine ou Le Grand Meaulnes d’Alain Fournier notamment , où le spectateur navigue entre réalité et rêve.
Thus, the viewer experiences entering a world that is at first recognizable and real, but as they immerse themselves in the work, it becomes an illusion.