Guy Olivier (Maastricht, 1964) is a Dutch artist. In the scenes on his canvases – whether they are portraits of voluptuously self-confident young women or of inebriated night owls who have suddenly seen the light or love, of dinners gone wrong or Fellini-esque circus scenes – the theatrical exuberance of celebrated life on canvas and paper. Wherever you attend Guy Olivier exhibitions with an old-fashioned opening, the air vibrates and shudders between the eyes of the visitors and the colorful canvas.
The coquettish ladies and Burgundian evenings do not even need to be depicted, but the viewer quickly visualizes them. Caressing pout lips easily seduce the viewer. They refer to a classic feminine beauty, not just of the woman herself, but of the feminine aspect of everything in life. Guy Olivier embraces the curls, the round shapes, the exuberance, the adjectives and gives them a contemporary look. With a serious culinary background and with Maastricht as his hometown, that is not far-fetched.
Few Dutch artists are able to express the Burgundian way of life in such a visual and accurate way, entirely in French style.
