Sacha Cambier de Montravel

Sacha Cambier de Montravel, who graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris in 2023, deploys his pictorial universe around the question of violence and eroticism, drives and passions.

Twisting the rules of primitive Italian and Flemish painting, he recreates his own Garden of Delights. In an urbanized landscape, a myriad of characters come to life in the glow of streetlamps. Some heave as others relieve themselves, the artist using his work as an outlet to purge his fantasies and rail against the facts of society.

The young Belgian artist plays with references, flirting with blasphemy by forcing the viewer into the position of voyeur. With a certain cynicism, the non-politically correct invites itself into the religious register, using with irony the supports and techniques favored for old altarpieces.

For the 2024 edition of Private Choice, Sacha Cambier de Montravel has created a series featuring the famous Villa Malaparte. Perched 32 meters above the sea on Capo Massullo, a rocky outcrop on the island of Capri, the artist drew inspiration from the myths and legends that have forged the aura of this residence. Founded by Curzio Malaparte, its Pompeian red box shape and lines make it an icon of modern architecture.

The Bruegelian composition, entitled Amour Vandale (Vandal Love), depicts the Villa's walls in blood-red. The young painter has inscribed it with an Italian poem by Pier Paolo Pasolini: "This is why, in the anguish of my faults, I have never achieved true remorse". In the background, a medieval northern town seems to appear in the mist, creating a crossroads of eras and geographies.