MICHAËL VIGER

Michaël Viger's charismatic personality made him assistant to director Henri Verneuil in the film "Mayrig", with Omar Sharif and Claudia Cardinale.

Michaël Viger transformed his life's inseparable love of realist painting, jazz and cinema from New York and Paris in the 1930s to the 1950s. One of Michaël Viger's most brilliant virtues is his great generosity with other disciplines of art, film, music and especially jazz.

Over the course of 30 years, he worked on several well-known films, such as: 'The Man in the Iron Mask' with Leonardo DiCaprio and John Malkovich, 'Harrison's Flowers' with Andie McDowell, Adrien Brody, and Gerard Butler, 'The Visitors' with Christian Clavier and Jean Reno, 'Edgar's Curse' with Brian Cox and many others.

During all these years, he painted, wrote, developed films and was passionate about jazz.

Just as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was inspired by the cabaret nightclubs and the Parisian show business, painting and recreating the scenes of these artists and characters, Michaël Viger was inspired by the world of jazz and cinema, in Paris and New York.

A tribute to the smoky jazz clubs of New York, with glittering musical instruments and musicians in motion, mark the link with the theme of his work.

He also draws inspiration from the golden age of industrial cinema in the 1930s and 1950s, with the image compositions of Alfred Hitchcock, the intensity of Orson Welles and the scenes starring his muses Kim Novak, Grace Kelly, and Tippi Hedren. ‘Edgar's curse’ with Brian Cox and many others, has been the trajectory of this visual artist of film and painting, from the end of the last century to the present day.

Viger, unforgettable encounters

‘I remember working nights at the Théâtre du Châtelet. It was crazy at the time; I went from one place to another. In fact, not much has changed. Nowadays I am still running, maybe I should work on it. But back then, I could sleep two hours a night. At the Théâtre du Châtelet, I sold tickets and was behind the bar. Between the breaks, I was backstage, with these beautiful dancers, jumping and laughing. These ladies impressed me. After work, I would go on foot to finish my evenings in jazz clubs like ‘le caveau de la Huchette’ or ‘Les 3 mallets’ in Saint Germain des Prés. I met Memphis Slim, Sonny Rollin, and others, you could smoke and try all kinds of substances. I loved this time.’

He began his filmmaking career in Art as a researcher specialising in World War II veterans, working with the KGB and CIA infiltrators, before joining Henri Verneuil as an assistant on the film ‘Mayrig’ with Omar Sharif and Claudia Cardinale. 

‘This period with these strange encounters was just incredible. I thought it was one of those stories I read as a child. Meeting these secret agents in the lobby of an old Soviet grand hotel in Moscow's Red Square. Dining at Stalin's table in his favourite restaurant. Meeting the first American who, in June '44, shook hands with a Soviet soldier. A Soviet soldier whom I met 60 years later and who offered me the insignia he wore on his uniform at the time. So, I have a treasure box at home holding exceptional moments with exceptional people.’

A whole trajectory of artistic production, between painting, where he eternalises his great idols, writing, cinema, and his fascination with jazz.

I love being the observer and creating a story

His inspiration is to capture a moment that tells you a story with just a look or a pose. Michaël Viger is a painter-director who directs his brushes to give the viewer the strange impression of wanting to know the rest of the story.

In the field of art and photography, his paintings have a touch of Edward Hopper, Klimt, or Mary Cassatt, but also of photographers such as Saul Leiter, Vivian Maier, or Robert Doisneau.

From the wood of the scaffolding to the work of art

The unique style of painting, with an extraordinary innovation, taking the wood used from the scaffolding of the building as a support for the realistic painting of the building, uniting two epochs: classicism and the industrial 20th century.

Michaël Viger continues his artistic career and is currently shooting a new film in Morocco. The artist Michaël Viger is represented internationally by Galería ÁUREA in Madrid - Spain.

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Daniel Redemi curator of exhibitions and director of Galería ÁUREA.

www.galeriaurea.com

Michaël Viger:

Instagram: @michaelv2102