Philippe Bertho

In 1995, Bertho’s artwork garnered accolades at the Regards sur les Arts salon show - a new talent showcase in Lamballe, France. He was well on his way to developing his unique approach to trompe l’oeil painting. The style that he developed cast a new look on everyday objects, transporting the viewer into an imaginative and rich world. It has been said that Bertho’s paintings create a world where the whimsical meets the witty, a juncture between the fanciful and the eccentric. And into his paintings, Bertho inserts mischievous characters – climbing, searching, running, thinking - each painting evolving into a “hyper-realist” world, little scenarios of his own ingenious invention.
  Most recently, his attention has turned towards Pop Art. Using a combination of narrative figuration and Pop inspiration, the result has become the basis for his simple, thought-provoking artworks. It is as if these works define the phrase, “the more you look, the more there is to see.” In an artistic sense, his technique is precise, crisp and masterful. In an imaginative sense, the surreal nature of his artwork begs the question, “What was the artist thinking when he painted this?” Perhaps the question should be, more accurately, “What are we thinking when we view his artwork?” The tiny characters that inhabit the bizarre world created by Bertho’s paintings seem to nonchalantly accept the ridiculous situations they find themselves in, as if it is perfectly normal to read a newspaper or do a tap dance while perched inside of a bubble. Others seem determined to explore the illusory three-dimensional space of the canvas - climbing in and out of spheres as children do on a playground. It seems absurd that they are not dismayed at their surroundings - or is it absurd that we are?

There are no correct answers, only more questions posed by viewing each of Bertho’s imaginative paintings. There are as many different responses as there are people viewing his artwork. This is precisely what makes his work attractive and confounding, simplistic and complex, all at once.
  Philippe Bertho is an extraordinary new and young talent and he is beginning to garner strong attention within and from outside of the art world. To our delight and enjoyment, he has finally found his voice and is beginning to fulfill his artistic calling. Determined to stay true to his imagination, sense of humor, rich creativity and distinct originality, Bertho’s leitmotiv seems to be – to keep his unique personality intact, at all costs, and to share with each of us a glimmer of that personality in these remarkably unique paintings.
  Bertho’s artwork is widely collected by institutions and individual collectors worldwide, and has been shown in galleries in Europe, the United States and the Caribbean. He has participated in salon shows and exhibitions throughout France.