Paris, France 1962-
Katarina Monnier studied at the Sorbonne and has lived in several different countries such as Morocco, Sweden, France, Brazil, the USA and Sri Lanka. Between 1986 and 1990, Monnier became a Custom Jewelry and Accesories Designer for ?Haute Couture? and then moved on to Fashion Designing in Paris and in Rio de Janeiro. It was only in 1990, that she began her artistic career in Paris as a professional painter and sculptor.
Katarina Monnier is an established French artist that has become recognised for her stunning use of colour in abstract compositions. Her earlier paintings expressed her emotional response to landscape, but her most recent work is inspired by the art of the Renaissance. Her source of inspiration came from two artists in particular: the great Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525- 1569) and the Italian artist Jacopo Pontormo (1494?1556). Katarina Monnier was seduced by these artists not so much for the subject matter of their paintings but more for the way they used colours to reflect their emotions towards a given theme. As before, her abstract compositions are divided into sections by horizontal bands, giving an underlying geometric framework to the painting. Within these divisions, Monnier uses harmonic or complementary colours as prescribed by Goethe in his Theory of Colour of 1810, both to create a balance in the composition and to increase the intensity of the colours.
Attracted to the art of both northern and southern Europe, Katarina Monnier is also drawn towards the East and Buddhist philosophy. Her art expresses her belief in the quest for "Yasuragi", the Japanese term signifying the harmony of all elements in nature. Built up layer upon layer to create intensely luminous images, her meditative works have a universal quality.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS.
1993 Gallery 706, Colombo
1996 LKF The Gallery, Hong Kong
1997 Alliance Francaise, Singapore
1998 Mountcastle Gallery, Colombo
2000 Kings Road Gallery, London
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1994 Gallery 706, Colombo
1995 Galerie Carlhian, Paris
1997 Alliance Francaise/ Hilton, Colombo
1998 Salon D'Automne, Paris
1999 National Gallery, Colombo
Hilton, Colombo
2000 Artfolio, Singapore
Artworks Represented In Collections Worldwide.
USA, France, England, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Austria, China.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Park 97, Shanghai
ABN Amro, Colombo
World Trade Centre, Colombo
PUBLICATIONS
1993 Sri Lanka National Television, Colombo
1995 Daily News, UK
The Observer, UK
Sunday Times, UK
Elle Decoration, Hong Kong
1996 Elle Decoration, Singapore
Economic Times, Singapore
The Evening Post, Singapore
Ming Pao Daily News, Singapore
Hong Kong Standard, Singapore
Hong Kong Standard, Singapore
Ta Kung Pao, Singapore
1998 Lien Magazine, Singapore
Sunday Times, Colombo
The Observer, Colombo