Facing the Sun Painting

Born in Lisbon, Portugal, from Spanish and French cultures, Gonzalo Benard soon start spending his life in museums and art galleries by his father's hand. Having classes while teenager with some masters of fine arts like sculpture, painting, photography, ceramic, design and drawing, he soon developed his eye-mind-hand and the need of creating become vital. After finishing his studies, Benard started working in art galleries and cultural centres like the Cultural Centre of Belem, the main one in Lisbon, or coordinating the editorial of the Portuguese representation in Venice Biennial in 1995, invited by the Minister of Culture who gave Benard a public honour for his work. G. Benard went then to Himalayas to spend some time studying in school monasteries of painting and philosophy (Nepal/Tibet) and with the shamans. Back in Portugal, in 2000, Benard started then exhibiting his paintings and drawings worldwide, from Lisbon to L.A. (see CV), while being awarded several times in national and international contests, with his drawings or photographs. He then moved to Barcelona, in 2002, where he started using photography as his main medium of creating. With more exhibitions, in London, Barcelona, Lisbon, etc, Benard moved in 2012 to Paris and in 2020 to Lisbon where he now lives and works. Sometimes still using his first Camera, an Asahi Pentax that he used for his very first solo show in an art gallery, with 13yo, (Galeria Quadrum) in Lisbon, he now mostly shoot in digital, being always an innovator in mediums, using also webcams or satellite connections. Gonzalo Benard's artworks can be seen worldwide in private and public art-collections as for example PT Telecom, Serralves Foundation or Sir Elton John's; published in several art blogs and art magazines such as EYEMAZING, Gestalten editions and Thames & Hudson, having also 3 more books published as author's editions. books: