Michaël Viger

Michaël Viger’s art emanates a powerful sense of nostalgia intertwined with a refined cinematic flair, reminiscent of the golden age of film and the improvisational soul of jazz. His works capture moments that seem suspended in time, inviting viewers to step into narratives filled with character and atmosphere. The careful attention to light, shadow, and composition reflects his background in cinema, particularly influenced by icons like Hitchcock and Welles, whose structured frames and atmospheric nuances resonate through Viger’s oil paintings.

Each piece appears to be a still from an untold story, where the characters, bathed in rich, deep hues, engage in private moments that hint at larger dramas. Viger’s use of wood as a canvas adds a textural depth to his work, allowing the grain to contribute to the mood, as though the medium itself shares in the memory of the depicted scene. This organic quality gives the pieces an authenticity that resonates with the history of jazz and cinema, two worlds he intimately understands and reveres.

The influence of jazz in Viger’s work is apparent not only in the subjects he chooses—often musicians or dimly lit lounges—but in the rhythm of his brushwork and the improvisational feel of his compositions. There’s an underlying syncopation, a visual beat that guides the eye from one part of the painting to another, much like a jazz musician leading a listener through a solo. This free-flowing dynamism suggests a world that is both elegant and raw, structured yet full of unexpected turns.

Despite Viger’s extensive background in film, his approach in painting remains intimate and personal. His art is less about spectacle and more about capturing the quiet moments in lives steeped in experience and emotion. These works do not seek to overwhelm but to invite contemplation, allowing the viewer to step into a timeless world where past and present mingle effortlessly. Through each piece, Viger brings forth a world that honors both the cinematic and musical inspirations of his life, creating a body of work that is as much a homage as it is an expression of his unique artistic vision.

Robert L Parcus
Parcus Gallery – Owner

Michaël Viger is a Franco-Austrian artist. Born in Paris in 1966. Painter and filmmaker. Awarded in Austria and Italy whose works have been exhibited throughout Europe (from Vienna to Manchester). As a student, he attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Versailles where he discovered his passion for painting. He began his career as filmmaker at Arte as an investigator specializing in World War II veterans working with people from KGB and from CIA, before joining Henri Verneuil as assistant on the film “Mayrig” with Omar Sharif and Claudia Cardinale. Over a period of thirty years, he worked on several well-known films, including: “The Man in the Iron Mask” with Leonardo DiCaprio and John Malkovitch, “Harrison’s Flowers” with Andie McDowell, Adrien Brody and Gerard Butler, “The Visitors” with Christian Clavier and Jean Reno, “The curse of Edgar” with Brian Cox and many others. During all those years, he was painting, writing, developing films and passionate for jazz. His works clearly reflect the world of jazz and film. He is also inspired by the golden age of the film industry of the 1930s and 1950s, with the compositions of images by Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, and their muses: Kim Novak, Grace Kelly or Tippi Hadren. Since this year, it has been listed on ARTPRICE. Among his most famous exhibitions: Gallery of Biblioteca Angelica – Rome 2022, Aurea Gallery – Madrid for a permanent exhibition, Florence Biennale 2021, Manchester Art Fair 2021, Fair for Art – Vienna 2023.