ART ET CIGARE

Bernard Bernhardt, a Parisian born under the zodiac sign of libra in 1952, a graduate of the academy "La Grand Chaumiere", the design school "Sornas" and the University "Paris 8" at Vincennes will open his first exhibition in Moscow at the Cafe des Artistes.

His early career started as an art director of the fashion magazine "Elle" and "Playboy". In the 80's the film industry discovered him and he became a leading poster designer. His works for Pavel Longuine's film "Taxi Blues", and the poster for Milos Forman's "Amadeus" have become world famous. "Prizzy Honor" with the actor Jack Nicholson, "Pirate" by Roman Polanski and Francis Ford Copola's "Ramble Fish" are a few films to be mentioned for which Bernard Bernhardt created posters. In all he has done over sixty. One in particular created a small scandal in France when his two angel poster for the film "IL Gele En Enfer" was initially banned and labelled pornographic. Only after the intervention of the minister of culture, Jack Lang, under president Mitterrand, the poster was displayed all over Paris. Today Bernard continues creating posters for new films with a long waiting list.

But even more remarkable are his paintings that he shows rarely. Two years ago Jack Melkonian, who published the first issue of A-YA, under the pseudonym of Boris Karmashov, the Russian art magazine of the avant-garde of the seventies, met the painter Bernard. The versatility of his works impressed him, and the idea of bringing him to Moscow was born.

There are many facets in Bernard's artistic work. Hyper realism, as seen in his painting "Miles" reminiscent of the Americans Chuck Close and Richard Este, whereas the series of the "Bulls", painted on heavy linen canvasses are both expressive and mysterious. The chiaro-oscuro so typical for Rembrandt's school can be found in these wonderful pictures of a mixed technique. His works, oil and acrylic on paper like those of Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich are pictures of similar technique as used by Toulouse Lautrec.

The Moscow exhibition, sponsored by K.&.G. Melkonian S.A., the cigar producer of THE KNOCKANDO SELECTION, Le Cafe des Artistes and Kazumian, the Cognac manufacturer and wine specialist will open on the 11th February. Forty works will be shown until the 9th March under the theme of "Cigare et Art".

30th January 2001