Le Metro de la Reine, 2019, 24″ x 24″
Frédéric Lère has been so impressed by the Hudson Yards development, that he has used this as a source of inspiration for his latest paintings. The Vessel, Thomas Heatherwick’s centerpiece, is the focus of several paintings.
Lère set up his easel in the same area from which George Bellows executed a series of four oil paintings: Pennsylvania Station Excavation (1907-1909). “I could see the connection between the Hudson Yards construction site and the extraordinary work it took to build Pennsylvania Station. Like Bellows I wanted to celebrate this project.”
Over the years, Lère has painted railroad tracks, up North along the Hudson River, and South on the High Line. His Hudson Yards paintings came as a natural extension of these Grand Central Station and High Line projects.
Frédéric Lère uses his art to explore the world. Whether in his immediate surroundings or in far-flung places, he sets out on a discovery journey not knowing what he will find. The result is often surprising: the reflections he explores reveal another dimension, hidden details; through his series of urban landscape paintings, he identifies an overall vision that was often unsuspected until then.
Pierre Guimbard,Vivienne Art Galerie Director, Paris
As an engaged artist whose studio is in Hell’s Kitchen, Lère has exhibited internationally as well as with the Garment District Alliance; and with the Fashion District Art Festival. His art has also been successfully shown in promotional events organized by various commercial concerns.
The just published Salomon to Soliman art history book features a series of Lère’s watercolors commissioned by the Musée du Protestantisme in Ferrières, Tarn, France. The originals will be exhibited at the Museum from November to December 2019.