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= Alain Despert = Alain, Fernand, Gerard Despert (born June 6, 1943) is a French postmodern artist. He combines elements of pointillism, instinctual/spontaneous lines and vibrant colors to create his bold paintings.

Alain moved to the island of Bora Bora, French Polynesia in 1986. His work was first discovered by famed photographer Slim Aarons while visiting Bora Bora to photograph the island for an article for Town & Country magazine. A half page photograph of Despert and his paintings was included in the article published in the June 1990 issue of the magazine.

Later in 1990, Despert moved to New York City to pursue his artistic dreams. Shortly after his arrrival, his work was noticed by Michel Roux CEO of Crillon Importers and marketer/distributor of Absolut Vodka in the United States. Mr. Roux created the Absolut Artists advertising campaign when he commissioned Andy Warhol to paint the Absolut bottle. Roux added Despert to the Absolut Artists campaign. ABSOLUT DESPERT, depicting the bottle floating in the lagoon of Bora Bora appeared full page in magazines such as Art & Antiques and Connoisseur. Despert's career as an artist was established. Other commissioned artists include Keith Haring, Ed Ruscha and Damien Hirst.

The Swedish government sold Absolut to Pernod Ricard in 2008. The government retained ownership of the Absolut Art Collection. The collection is now exhibited at the Museum of Sprits in Stockholm. The original ABSOLUT DESPERT is with the collection at the museum.

Life and career
Despert was born in Nantes, France on June 6, 1943 exactly one year before D Day. At the time of his birth, his parents, Paulette Despert and Fernand Despert from Saint Nazaire, France were living under expulsion in the outskirts of the city during the bombing of World War II. The entire city of Saint Nazaire was demolished, including the Despert family home and their business. Despert spent the first 10 years of his life being raised in the countryside along with his three older sisters, Renee, Monique and Gisele, while they waited for the war to end and their city to be rebuilt.

Alain's father was skilled in furniture restoration and owned the largest furniture and home decor store in the center of Saint Nazaire, which he inherited from his father Antoine Despert. At the age of 11, Alain and his family moved back to Saint Nazaire after the city and the store was rebuilt. It was then that Alain discovered his passion for art when he was introduced to some of the works that his father showcased in the store. He was inspired by modern artists such as Jean Lurcat, Roger Capron and Mathieu Matego.

In 1960, Despert moved to Strasbourg, France to study at the Ecole Hoteliere. At age 20, after completing his higher education he joined the French Navy. He served as maitre d'hotel to the admiral on his submarine tour of the Greek Islands and the Amalfi Coast of Italy before his honorable discharge.

Despert moved to Cannes, France on the French Riveria in 1965 where he began his profession in the hotel industry. His hobby at the time was candid portrait photography. Despert gained access to private events at the Cannes Film Festival over several years where he photographed the most famous actors at the time. His personal collection includes hundreds of portrait photographs of actors such as