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Claire Tabouret

Born in 1981 in Pertuis, France, Claire Tabouret lives and works between Los Angeles and France. She attended the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, graduating in 2006. Her studies included an exchange at The Cooper Union School of Art, New York in 2005. 

In her paintings, drawings, works on paper, and sculptures, Tabouret scrutinizes time, identity and connection. Her works, whose tonalities are sometimes dark and sometimes acidic, exude theatrical ambiguity. Tabouter’s painting process often begins with a primary fluorescent layer, establishing an underlying chromatic tension between the natural and the artificial. Her figurative compositions feature the carnivalesque universe of childhood, the urgency of the isolated individual, and the shifting dynamics within a group, bringing to mind Romantic painting. Landscapes also hold a central place within Tabouret’s oeuvre, allowing the artist to center an emotionally charged, psychologically rich atmosphere.

Over the years Tabouret has portrayed a diverse range of subjects, from mass migration to environmental disaster, debutants to Greek myths. Her thoughtful, engaged process draws from various places— from literary and archival sources to the internet— while remaining grounded and sustained by personal experience. Spanning across mediums, the artist’s work reflects the enigmas inherent to existence, unfurling a universe of stories and memories. In 2024, Tabouret was selected as the winner of the competition organized by the French Ministry of Culture to design contemporary stained glass windows for Notre-Dame de Paris. The stained glass windows will be unveiled at the end of 2026. 

Tabouret has recently presented solo exhibitions including 'D'un seul souffle', Grand Palais, Paris, France (2025); 'L'éloquence des larmes', Château La Coste, Le Puy-Sainte-Reparade, France (2024); 'Au Bois d'Amour', Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Miami, FL, US (2023); 'I am spacious, singing flesh', a collateral event of the 59th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy (2022); 'Baigneuse Assise', Musée Picasso, Paris, France (2021); 'La Ronde', Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rouen, France (2020); 'Les Veilleurs', Collection Lambert, Avignon, France (2018); and 'The Dance of Icarus', Yuz Museum, Shanghai, China (2017), as well as 'One Day I Broke a Mirror', a two-person exhibition with Yoko Ono, Villa Medici, Rome, Italy (2017).

Among her recent group exhibitions are 'Women Painting Women', Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, TX, US (2022); 'Present Generations', Columbus Museum of Art, OH, US (2021); and 'Ouverture', Bourse de Commerce, Paris, France (2021), among others.

Her work is held in major public and private collections worldwide, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA, US; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL, US; the Pérez Art Museum, Miami, FL, US; the Dallas Museum of Art, TX, US; the Columbus Museum of Art, OH, US; the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Canada; the Pinault Collection, Paris, France; the Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; the Voorlinden Museum, Wassenaar, Netherlands; and the Yuz Museum, Shanghai, China, among others.

  • Biography

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  • Bibliography

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Selected artworks

  • Claire Tabouret,                                      Patricia with her eyes closed , 2019

    Claire Tabouret Patricia with her eyes closed , 2019

    Acrylic on canvas
    91,4 x 76,2 cm
    36 x 30 x 1 1/2 Inches

  • Claire Tabouret,                                      The Blue Sentinels, 2024

    Claire Tabouret The Blue Sentinels, 2024

    Edition of 6 + 2 AP
    Tapestry - Low warp weaving
    165 x 240 cm
    64 x 94 1/2 in

  • Claire Tabouret,                                      Mattea (yellow), 2024

    Claire Tabouret Mattea (yellow), 2024

    Acrylic on canvas
    41.5 x 33.5 x 2 cm
    16 3/8 x 13 1/4 x 3/4 in

  • Claire Tabouret,                                      Layers of Dreams and Reality, 2024

    Claire Tabouret Layers of Dreams and Reality, 2024

    Acrylic on canvas
    73 x 92 cm
    28 3/4 x 36 1/4 in

  • Claire Tabouret,                                      Self Portrait (Looking at You), 2024

    Claire Tabouret Self Portrait (Looking at You), 2024

    Acrylic on canvas
    50 x 40 x 2 cm
    19 3/4 x 15 3/4 x 3/4 in

  • Claire Tabouret,                                      Sounds of Spring (10), 2024

    Claire Tabouret Sounds of Spring (10), 2024

    Acrylic on canvas
    50 x 40 cm
    19 1/2 x 16 in

  • Claire Tabouret,                                      Baigneuse assise, 2024

    Claire Tabouret Baigneuse assise, 2024

    Edition of 8 + 2AP + 2HC
    Painted bronze fountain
    154.9 x 121.9 x 121.9 cm
    61 x 48 x 48 in

  • Claire Tabouret,                                      Seated bather, 2024

    Claire Tabouret Seated bather, 2024

    Edition 8 + 2 AP
    Painted bronze
    50.8 x 35.6 x 27.9 cm
    20 x 14 x 11 in

  • Claire Tabouret,                                      Paysages d'intérieur (turquoise), 2022

    Claire Tabouret Paysages d'intérieur (turquoise), 2022

    Acrylic on fabric
    213.4 x 182.9 cm
    84 x 72 in

  • Claire Tabouret,                                      The Fountain, 2021

    Claire Tabouret The Fountain, 2021

    Acrylic on linen
    309.9 x 365.8 cm
    122 x 144 in

Videos

  • Claire Tabouret in her studio, 2021
  • Discover Claire Tabouret’s exhibition ‘D’un seul souffle’ at the Grand Palais, Paris, France.

Museum exhibitions

Selected press