Agathe Bouton
Contact Information
Studio & Gallery
Wynnewood, PA
Please contact artist for purchases, commissions, etc.
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Printmaking
Archived Work
In Agathe Bouton’s Studio
Artist's Biography
Agathe Bouton is a French artist living and working in the Philadelphia area whose boundary-pushing printmaking and paper works exhibit influence from living and working in international cities across the globe. Bouton earned her BFA in Painting and Printmaking and her MFA in Arts and Textile Design from the prestigious ESSAA Duperré in Paris, France. Since leaving Paris 13 years ago, Bouton has lived and exhibited her work internationally in Paris (France), London (UK), Philadelphia (USA), Rangoon (Burma/Myanmar), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Dakar (Senegal) and Istanbul (Turkey). She has presented solo exhibitions at the Biennale de l’Art Africain Contemporain in Dakar, Senegal; Rathaus House in Waldbrol, Germany; Centre d’Arts Plastiques Albert Chanot in Clamart, France; Bundaberg Art Centre in Bundaberg, Australia; Galerie Od’A in Istanbul, Turkey; River Gallery in Yangon, Burma/Myanmar; and the Bettie Morton Gallery in London, UK.
Bouton has received numerous awards in France and the United States for her accomplished printmaking including the Pierre Laurent First Prize in 2007 in Albi, France; being named a finalist in the Prix GRAV’X in 1999, 2003, 2004, and 2005 in Paris; and being selected as a semifinalist in the 91st and 92nd Annual International Competitions of The Print Center in Philadelphia. Since moving to the U.S., she has exhibited extensively in Philadelphia at Inliquid, the Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Main Line Art Center, NoBa Art Space and at the Brandywine Workshop. Additionally, Bouton’s work is in the collections of French institutions including: the Bibliothèque Nationale, Cabinet des Estampes; L’Inventaire, Artothèque du Nord Pas de Calais; and the Musée Français de la carte à jouer.
Artist's Statement
I have always adored cities and architecture. I loved growing up in Paris, visiting my grandparents’ Le Corbusier apartment, and watching Jacques Tati’s films with their playful modernism. I have gone on to live all over the world creating work from one continent to another. And, no matter where I reside, I am infused by the specificity of the architecture and culture around me. My work is inspired and fed by all the experiences and cultures I have discovered during my travels. Each time I had to reinterpret myself with my art and find new techniques and inspiration, which was challenging but so worthwhile.
Architecture endures as a strong influence on my work. Whether the buildings are a new block of offices or apartments, an abandoned warehouse, an old administrative center, or a half-demolished home, I am drawn to the history and lives they evoke. I am attracted to their intrinsic beauty, whether that beauty comes from design or degradation or a combination of the two. My latest work, inspired by my new home, Philadelphia, is an interpretation of these buildings – sometimes in detail, sometimes with a broader view. These urban landscapes impress with grand facades, patchworks of broken windows, unique color palettes, and mirrored images of sky and nearby buildings. My work evokes reflections of the lives lived within these spaces. Both finding and creating beauty in the urbanism that surrounds us, my work transmutes decay and deterioration into serenity, story, and hue.
Color and textiles have always had important roles in my work because they create impressions of light, people, and pigment. Through a modern and singular approach to engraving, I make monotypes, prints, installations, artist books, paper clothing, and paintings that play with improvisation and superimposition in their creation. My work is monochromatic, echoing traditional engraving and etching, while creating color that appears in different halftones, shades, and densities. With my individualized method and practice, I am able to create unique works that cannot be achieved with traditional approaches. As a result, I interpret and interact with the world around me through a well-honed visual language that incorporates all the continents, histories, and cultures I’ve experienced.
Selected Exhibitions
Solo
2018
From One Continent to Another, 20 years of printmaking, curator Amie Potsic, 3rd r Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2017
Reflections & Light, Annex, 3rd Street Gallery, Philadelphia PA
2016
Habitat & Urban Matter, 3rd Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2014
Arkheon Studio, Ortakoy, Istanbul, Turkey
2012
Maison Jamm, St Louis du Senegal, Biennale de l’Art Africain Contemporain, Senegal
Espace 4 vents, Dakar, Biennale de l’Art Africain Contemporain, Senegal
2009
River Gallery, Yangon, Myanmar/ Burma
2008
Rangoun French Institut, Yangon, Myanmar/ Burma
2007
Domaine de Montroche, Nîmes, France
2006
Inya Myaing, Yangon, Myanmar/ Burma
2005
Bettie Morton Gallery, London, UK
2004
198 Gallery, London, UK
2002
Rathaus House, Waldbrol, Germany
2001
Château Mas Neuf, Gallician, France
1999
Centre d’Arts Plastiques Albert Chanot, Clamart, France
Le Bon Marché, Paris VIIe, France
1998
Le Bon Marché, Paris VIIe, France
1997
Centre d’animation Baudricourt, Paris XIIIe, France
Juried Exhibition
2018
Color Reflection, Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series 2018, Arch Enemy Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Into The Light, Arts + Crafts Holdings, Philadelphia PA
Curator: Bridgette Mayer
12th Annual Juried Exhibition, GoogleWorks Center for the Arts, Reading, PA
Juror: Thora Jacobson
Inside Out, Selected Group Exhibition, InLiquid Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Susanna W. Gold, PhD
92nd Annual International Competition, The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA
Jurors: Keliy Anderson-Staley, Katherine Ware
PAM 2018 Exhibition, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
Juror: Pamela A. Regan
2017
91st Annual International Competition, The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA
Jurors: Kelly Baum, Jennifer Farrell
Spatial Complexities: Archiving Beauty from Chaos, CFEVA 2017, Bebe Benoliel Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Visiting curator: Leeza Ahmady
A New Summer, The Bodine Cancer Treatment Center, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia PA
Curator: Sean Stoops for Revolvd LLC
National Juried Exhibition, First Street Gallery, Chelsea, New York, NY
Juror: Peter Colon
Duke Gallery: Pattern, Community Arts Center, Wallingford, PA
Juror: Heather Ujiie
Spring Gala Exhibition, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
Juror: Ekaterina Popova
Professional Artist Members Exhibition, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
Juror: Ross Lance Mitchell
2016
Triennal Internacional de Grabado Contemporaneo, El Catascopio, Barcelona, Spain
1er Biennal Internationale de l’Estampe de Dreux, France
2015
Dédicaces, Musée de la Chartreuse, Douai, France
2014
VIIIe Printemps des Artistes, Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey
2009
Ve Biennale de la Gravure d’Albi, Albi, France
2007
IVe Biennale de la Gravure d’Albi, Albi, France
2006
The 6th British international Print Exhibition, Dumfries, Scotland
2005
Xe Biennale de la Gravure de Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, France
2004
Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, UK
2003
IVe Biennale de la Gravure d’Ile de France, Versailles, France
2001
Centre d’Arts Plastiques Albert Chanot, Clamart, France
2000
Ve Triennale mondiale de l’estampe petit format, Chamalières, France
1999
GRAV’X, Galerie Michèle Broutta, Paris XVe, France
Group
2019
Unbound: Works in Paper, Stanek Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Collector's Events, NoBA Artspaces, Bala Cynwyd, PA
Curator: Susanna W. Gold
2018
Kind of Blue, Heavy bubble, Artspace 1241, Philadelphia PA
Reflection & Light, Atelier 1931, La Poullière, Le Petit Pressigny, France
Process and Invention/Six Women Printmakers, The Printed Image Gallery, Brandywine Workshops and Archives, Philadelphia, PA
Monotypes, NoBA Artspaces, Bala Cynwyd, PA
Curator: Susanna W. Gold, PhD
Landscape Variations, 3rd Street Gallery Annex, Philadelphia, PA
2017
3rd Street Gallery Members Exhibition, D’Arrigo Gallery of Salus University, Elkins Park, PA
Ritual. Reading room - Single-sheet book show, @Heavy Bubble, Philadelphia, PA
Transferred Impression, Black Moth Gallery, Ardmore, PA
A New Summer, Jefferson Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
Curated by Sean Stoops for Revolvd LLC
An Exhibition, Bebe Benoliel Gallery, Selections from CEFVA’s Members, Philadelphia, PA
RED, 3rd Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2016
Works on Paper, 3rd Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Spring Exhibition, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
2015
Délire de livres, Chartres, France
Professional Artist Members Exhibition, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
2012
Sokhamon, Dakar, Senegal
2011
Délire de livres, Chartres, France
2009
l’Ermitage, Rueil-Malmaison, France
L’Espace Beaujeu, Castres, France
2008
French institut, Yangon, Myanmar/ Burma
2007
l’Ermitage, Rueil-Malmaison, France
French Institut, Yangon, Myanmar/ Burma
2006
Biennale Internationale de Gravicel, Lens, France
L’Ermitage, Rueil-Malmaison, France
2005
l’Ermitage, Rueil-Malmaison, France
GRAV’X, Galerie Michèle Broutta, Paris XVe, France
2004
Bundaberg Art Centre, Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia
Bettie Morton Gallery, Londres, UK
2003
l’Ermitage, Rueil-Malmaison, France
VIe Triennale mondiale de l’estampe petit format, Chamalières, France
Galerie Michèle Broutta, Paris XVe, France
2001
Nuit cent peintres, Paris, France
l’Ermitage, Rueil-Malmaison, France
2000
Alternative Gallery, Calcutta, India
Musée des Avelines, Saint-Cloud, France
Nuit cent peintres, Paris, France
1999
Espace Confluence, Paris XXe, France
Centre d’Arts Plastiques Albert Chanot, Clamart, France
Artist's Bibliography
2015
C. Dubois, "Le Francophilly N°70," Philadelphia accueil
2008
A. Touy, "Le Programme," mai 2008, CCCL, Alliance Française de Rangoun
2005
F. Danse, Azart, N°17
2002
Waldbröler Echo, Autumn edition
2001
Sceaux Magazine N° 309
2000
N. Gérard, Revue Art & Métiers du livre, N° 219
1999
P. Séjournant, Revue Art & Métiers du livre, N° 215
Professional Affiliations
Creative Member at InLiquid, Philadelphia, PA
Artist Member at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Philadelphia, PA
Professional Artist Member at MLAC, Haverford, PA
L’Inventaire, Artothèque du Nord Pas de Calais, France
Membre de Graver maintenant - groupe Corot, France
Sociétaire du Trait - Graveurs d’aujourd’hui, France
Awards and Honors
2018
Semifinalist Bombay Artisan Series, USA
Semifinalist 92nd Annual International Competition, The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA
2017
Semifinalists 91st Annual International Competition, The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA
2015
Coll’s, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
2007
Pierre Laurent-Pierre Astier, gravure d’épargne, Albi, France
2005
Prix GRAV’X, finaliste, Galerie Michèle Broutta, Paris, France
2001
Prix Joop Stoop pour l’oeuvre la plus originale, l’Ermitage, Rueil-Malmaison, France
2000
Prix Arts & Métier du livre pour l’estampe originale contemporaine, Rueil-Malmaison, France
Parchemin d’Honneur, Ville de Chamalières, France
1999
Prix GRAV’X, finaliste, Galerie Michèle Broutta, Paris, France
Public Art Projects
Mural, CHU du Kremlin-Bicêtre, Bâtiment Paul Broca, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
Collections
Bibliothèque Nationale, Cabinet des Estampes, Paris, France
L’Inventaire, Artothèque du Nord Pas de Calais, France
Musée français de la carte à jouer, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Installations
2008
French Institut, Yangon, Myanmar/ Burma
2001
"En Marge," l’Ermitage, Rueil-Malmaison, France
2000
Musée des Avelines, Saint Cloud, France
1999
Centre d’Arts Plastiques Albert Chanot, Clamart, France
1997
Mairie du XVIIIe, Paris, France
Etching - Printmaking Fairs
2003/10
Art Paris, Paris, France
2002/05
Salon International de l’Estampe, Paris, France
2002/03
Salon d’Automne, Paris, France
1999/05
Salon de l’Estampe, Rueil-Malmaison, France
1999/03
Salon Le Trait, Cité internationale des Arts, Paris, France
Public Commission
Mural, CHU du Kremlin-Bicêtre, Bâtiment Paul Broca, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
Education
1995 - 2002
Studied Etching and Printmaking at ESAA Duperre, under the supervisions of Mr.Viot et Cazalis
1989
ESAA Dupérre, Paris, France
MFA, Textile Design
1987
ESAA Dupérre, Paris, France
BFA
Recent Artist Member Mentions on InLiquid
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RIVERFRONT 20/20 Juried Exhibition
OPENING EVENT: Friday, September 11 | 5 – 8 PM On the heels of their 20th year on the riverfront, … See Full Post
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Members in Riverfront 20/20
Agathe Bouton, Andrew Chalfen, Kathran Siegel, and Nanci Hersh are all in the Delaware Contemporary’s annual juried exhibition, Riverfront 20/20, which runs from September 11 2020 through January 8, 2021. There will be an opening event September 11 from 5-8 pm.
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Agathe Bouton Online Exhibition
Agathe Bouton has an online exhibition with Stanek Gallery from August 1 through August 29. View the exhibition here!
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Agathe Bouton Featured Artist in “Women of Culture”
Agathe Bouton is the featured artist of the month for May 2020 on Women of Culture’s blog! Read the interview with Agathe here.
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Banished for the Good of the Realm
Banished For the Good of the Realm is a virtual exhibition highlighting work from InLiquid’s artist members that they have made during the unprecedented stay-at-home order during the Spring of 2020.
