Arghaël -

Born in 1974, Arghaël lives and works in his studio in Les Lilas, France.

Fascinated by the human body since childhood, Arghaël first observed it through the prism of his camera before choosing a more personal path.
Leaving film directing for another mode of expression, he studied under Gérard Venturelli at the Ateliers des Beaux-Arts, Paris, forging a new, intimate dialogue with drawing through an in-depth study of live models. Arghaël's powerful nudes are reminiscent of Bacon's distortion of the human figure and Rodin's sensual approach to the body. But Arghaël opts for a radical purity: his canvas is raw, primitive, as if naked itself.
We witness the birth of a singular body of work that questions the notion of gender and the mystery of the flesh, physically confronting our unconscious. Over the past 10 years, through his exhibitions –Raw (2015), Skin(s) (2017), Métamorphe(s) (2019), Under My Skin (2023) - Arghaël has been exploring the mutation of bodies, challenging our imagination: as close as possible to flesh, bones and blood vessels, he traces h...

1974 : Born in Paris on August 16, 1974

- From Journalism to Film

1993 : Studies journalism at ISCPA (the French Institut Supérieur des Médias)

1995 : Leaves for New-York where he free-lances for several French publications and discovers the city’s bubbling art scene. There starts his passion for visual arts and the indie American film scene.

1997 : Returns to Paris to join Duboi, the leading special effects house for film and advertising (Alien, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s The City of Lost Children etc...), where he explores all aspects of film-making.

1999 : Directs and edits a series of artists’ portraits for French movie channel Canal + (Les Rencontres Cinéma). His first attempt at catching the moment, exploring the body to get to the truth.


2004 A turning point
Albert Elbaz, LANVIN renowned artistic director, gives him carte blanche to direct an intimate portrait to be screened in New York during the CFDA Awards ceremony.

- From Film to Flesh

2005-2015 : Directs commercials for international brands (Cartier, Dior, L’Oréal), filming bodies, questioning beauty and gender.

2010-2015 : Gets accepted at/Joins the Ateliers Beaux Art de Paris. A need for the raw, the body-to-body, soul-to-soul. B&W. Charcoal drawings with liv...

2024 : Modernism Show - solo Show, JC Studio, Palm Springs, California.
2023 : Under My Skin - Solo Show, Loo & Lou Gallery, Paris.
2022 JC Studio - Cathedral City, Californie, permanent exhibition
2022 Nature // Natures, Loo & Lou Gallery, group show, Paris.
2020 : Form and Figure, Melissa Morgan, Palm Desert, California.
2019 : Métamorphe(s) Solo Exhibition at the Loo & Lou Gallery in the Marais, Paris.
2018 : "Red Wall" Group exhibition. Sceau, France,
2018 : DDessin Paris, Solo Exhibition
2017 : SKIN(S), Solo Exhibition, Loo & Lou Gallery, Paris 
2016 : Show Grow Gallery, Downtown Los Angeles 

2016 : Raw, Solo Exhibition, Loo & Lou Gallery, Paris 

2016 : Shades of Winter, Art Share, Downtown Los Angeles