HUGO GALERIE is pleased to present Summer Collective II, a group exhibition of paintings, sculptures and drawings. The Summer Collective features works of art by HUGO GALERIE artists Beth Carter, Marc Chalmé, Marc Dailly, Jernej Forbici, Federico Infante, Joseph Paxton, Eric Roux-Fontaine, Brian Keith Stephens, and Benoît Trimborn. We are exhibiting new collections and pieces never-before-seen in New York City, with an introduction to the paintings of French artist Guillaume Chansarel.

British artist Beth Carter is well-known for her fantastical sculptures in bronze and resin, that unite human and animal forms. Carter’s sculptures, deeply rooted in mythology, are part of a genre the artist describes as “magical realism.” The artist’s unique body of work creates an alternate reality – one that invites the viewer to partake in a journey to a strange, dreamlike world where the lines between man and beast, reality and the subconscious and the possible and impossible are no longer clear.

Marc Chalmé studied at prestigious art schools in Nantes and Rennes in France. Afterwards, he studied under artist Georges Pichon, recipient of the coveted Prix de Rome. His work has been shown consistently in galleries in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and all over Europe. Chalmé’s most recent exhibition in France was critically acclaimed by La Gazette Drouot, the most famous French auction sales magazine. He currently lives in Nantes, France.

French painter Guillaume Chansarel had his first exhibition at 16 years old where he won a painting contest with his Chinese ink and feather artworks. After graduating from the Ecole des Arts et Techniques in Paris with a scenography and architecture degree, he embarked on his creative career as an independent painter for event, television, and theater companies. Since 2003, Chansarel has been exhibiting throughout the United States and Europe. He currently lives and works in Paris, France.

Marc Dailly studied illustration at the Émile Cohl School in Lyon, France. Soon after graduating, however, he devoted himself to his first passion: oil painting. He was discovered by Gerard Gamand, directeur of Azart magazine, in a group show at Chantal and Patrick Pons Gallery in Lyon. Gamand devoted nine pages to Dailly in the July–August 2009 issue of Azart. The artist has exhibited for over a decade, mainly in France and Switzerland. He currently lives in Lyon, France.

Jernej Forbici studied at the College for Visual Arts in Lubiana, Slovenia. He completed a degree in painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and then a Master’s degree in visual and performing arts disciplines. From 1999, his work has been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions worldwide and he was invited to international Biennales. In 2012, he won a scholarship from the Slovenian Ministry of Culture and took up residency in London to study the English masters. From 2013 to 2018, Forbici realized various projects in private galleries and public institutions in Italy and abroad.

Federico Infante received his BFA from Finis Terrae University in Santiago, Chile and got his MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York. He was the recipient of the Uanlane Foundation Scholarship, the Conicyt Scholarship, and the Juan Downey Grant. He has had several successful solo and group exhibitions in Chile, New York and Italy and his work has been adopted into private collections around the world. In 2015 he illustrated Nabokov’s masterpiece, Lolita, edited by The Folio Society. Federico’s work has been exhibited in galleries throughout Italy, Chile and New York. He currently lives in Richmond, VA.

Joseph Paxton studied fine art at Newcastle University where he graduated with a BA in Fine Art. He was an artist in residence with The Taft Nicholson Center for Environmental Humanities in Montana, and the Gettysburg National Park in Pennsylvania. He has been selected for the Threadneedle Prize Exhibition, exhibited at the Royal West of England Academy and recently collaborated with Liberty of London on one of their world famous window displays. Paxton exhibits widely in UK and in America and his works feature in private collections across the world. He currently lives in London, UK.

Eric Roux-Fontaine enrolled at the Fine Art School of Saint-Etienne in France at the age of 17 and graduated Summa Cum Laude. Since his first solo exhibition, he has enjoyed sellout shows and overwhelming success throughout Europe and the United States. The Musée des Beaux-arts in Chambéry and the Musée Paul Dini in Villefranche-sur-Saône acquired his works which to date are part of their permanent collections. The Museum of the city of Lyon and the Barcelona Contemporary Arts Center featured his work in 2008. Roux-Fontaine’s work has been featured in Rotterdam, Paris, London, and Dublin art fairs. He is currently living and working in Versailles, France.

Brian Keith Stephens received his BFA from the Lyme Academy College of Fine Art, Connecticut and his MFA from the City College of New York. His work has been exhibited in galleries in Europe in countries such as Germany, France, Bulgaria, and Denmark, and across the United States in cities such as San Francisco, Boston, and New York. Stephens currently lives in Connecticut. Trained as an architect, French painter Benoît Trimborn categorizes his work as “contemporary impressionism;” by this, he is referencing his unusual approach to ordinary subjects, his emphasis on the ethereal quality of light, and his focus on the natural world. While the presence of humanity is, at times, hinted at by a well-maintained field of crops or pasture of cows, Trimborn’s paintings tend to highlight the immeasurable vastness of nature and the relative smallness of everything else.

His work brilliantly captures the changing seasons, the fleeting visions reflected in his pools of water, and the complex relationships between light, water, and the sky.