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Aged 71 Bernard Buffet, one of France's major painter of the second half of the 20th Century, was suffering from the Parkinson disease and was no longer able to work as he wished.

Immensely rich after being much sought in Japan where two museums were
devoted to him, Buffet was born on July 10th 1928 in Paris and studied drawing and painting in 1943 before being admitted at the School of Beaux-Arts a year later.

Advised by Othon Friesz he exhibited his works in Paris for the first time in 1946 and then took part in all major exhibitions in the French capital. Success came during the mid fifties and Buffet was then hailed as the best post-war French painter.

Buffet also exhibited in several foreign cities such as New York, Chicago, Palm Beach, Montreal, Rome, Venice, Milan, Amsterdam, Brussels, Basel, Zurich, Geneva, Berlin and Tokyo showing works painted in a linear style from which he never departed.

Buffet was a prolific painter who painted over 8000 works during a career which lasted over 50 years and dealt with various themes such as landscapes, portraits, circus and religious scenes, nudes, still lifes or city views. He also worked as an illustrator.

The artist's career was fragmented in several periods notably the miserable years between 1947 and 1955 during which he exhaled his anguish in what are considered his best works. He then was described as a manierist artist after producing works which pleased the public becoming then a commercial artist above all.

Before the 1960's Buffet had been much expressive especially in some paintings in which he denounced poverty and the horrors of war expressing a kind of deep sadness on the canvas.

Buffet probably lost his genius 40 years ago but managed to become much in
demand thanks to the shrewdness of his dealer Maurice Garnier who made him an international star on the artistic scene though he felt that his inspiration had been deadlocked for long.