Louise Bonnet

Louise Bonnet, a Swiss surrealist painter, draws inspiration from alternative comix and dark humor. Her grotesque, corporeal figures frequently take center stage in dreamlike environments, exploring themes of gender, sexuality, and shame.

Biography of Louise Bonnet

Born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1970, Louise Bonnet attended the University of Art and Design before moving to Los Angeles in 1994. After years of working in illustration and graphic design, she didn't embark on her career as an artist until 2008.

Bonnet's inaugural solo exhibition was at Subliminal Projects, a gallery and project space established by Shepard Fairey and Blaize Blouin. 

Initially employing acrylic paint as her primary medium, Bonnet's artistic approach shifted in 2013 with the adoption of oil paint. 

Influenced by Surrealist art, Bonnet also draws inspiration from films in her work. Exploring themes of voyeurism, her softly painted, comic-like figures create an inside-outside dynamic, positioning the viewer at a remove from the painted world. 

Bonnet's art also delves into the dissolution of boundaries between mind and body. By examining the vulnerability inherent in bodily openings, many of her figures display features reminiscent of genitalia. This exploration of the interplay between the physical and the psychological, the personal and the public, the private and the exposed resonates with themes explored by filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and artist Peter Saul. Bonnet captures these concepts through stills that immerse the viewer in a narrative for which they are devoid of context.

Louise Bonnet's artwork is featured in several prominent public collections, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, Denver Art Museum, and Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Brunswick.