François AUBRUN (1934–2009) was a French painter renowned for his poetic and meditative approach to landscape painting. Born in France, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he developed a distinctive style that bridged realism and abstraction. His works often feature muted color palettes and soft, diffused forms that seem to dissolve into one another, reflecting the changing light and subtle tonal shifts of his surroundings.
At the age of 10, Aubrun was hospitalized due to a lung disease. During his convalescence, he experienced an irresistible urge to paint. As he spent his days gazing at the sky, he became fascinated by natural light, clouds, and their interplay. This theme of luminosity and its infinite variations would later define his artistic career.
In 1960, he settled in southern France, where he would spend fifty years with his wife and daughters. Aubrun pursued his career independently, accompanied only by a few painter friends. For him, solitude was both a choice and a necessity, as he believed painting could only emerge when the artist was fully centered within himself. His paintings were eventually featured in several major exhibitions, including a retrospective at the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence, which highlighted his extensive body of work.
Throughout his life, François Aubrun exhibited widely in France and across Europe, earning recognition for his unique artistic voice. His paintings are held in numerous private and public collections, valued for their ability to elevate everyday landscapes through an ethereal sense of light and atmosphere. Though understated in his approach, Aubrun’s art leaves behind a legacy of quiet beauty and profound reflection on the natural world.
