Draft:Bertrand Meniel

Bertrand Meniel (b. 1961) is a French photorealist Photorealism painter best known for his panoramic urban scenes ranging from the streets of New York City to roadside motels in the American West.

Early life
Bertrand Meniel was born in Boulogne Billancourt, France in 1961. His parents were interested a many aspects of art and culture and his early introduction to the world of art came through museum visits with his father starting from an early age. Bertrand and his father who was an amateur artist himself, often painted together working from images published in magazines. A visit to the exhibition "Hyperréalistes Américains- Réalistes Européens" » at the Centre National d’Art Contemporain in Paris in 1974 was a defining moment in his desire to become an artist.

Art career
Influenced by several of the artists considered first generation Photorealists included in the exhibition such as Chuck Close and Richard Estes, Meniel is drawn to the architecture and atmosphere of American life. His somewhat romanticised vision of American landscape and culture derives from the many hours he spent watching films about the United States, especially those directed by Europeans such as Wim Wenders and Douglas Sirk.

Meniel solidified his place in the twenty-first century cadre of Photorealists along with colleagues Anthony Brunelli, Roberto Bernardi and Raphaella Spence, all of whom also painted large-scale canvases focused on complex architetural environments. Working to create a sense of artistic camaraderie, these artists participated in group research and exhibitions such as The Prague Project in 2003.

Meniel's work has been included in international exhibitions of Photorealism including Hyperrealism 1967-2012 at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museo Nacional in Madrid, Spain. , Photorealism: 50 Years of Hyperrealistic Painting that traveled from 2012-2017 to ten museums thorughout Europe and the UK. From Lens to Eye to Hand: Photorealism from 1969 to Today at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York, and Beyond the Lens" Photorealist Perspectives on Looking, Seeing, and Painting at the Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, North Carolina. His work is represented in the United States at the Louis Meisel Gallery, New York.