François Bonjour's work stands out for its poetic use of humble and recycled materials, in line with the aesthetics of Arte Povera, which influenced his training. He himself defines these material elements as the “skin of the city”: ropes, wood, wax and, above all, paper torn from old books and notebooks, which the artist reassembles in his canvases and installations, exploiting the rhythmic marks of the written pages.
These materials, often coming from scraps destined for oblivion, emanate a strong human presence for Bonjour – “they end up in the rubbish but he transforms them to give them new dignity” – becoming a sort of diary of collective existence, capable of connecting the past and present with an eye to the future.
Consistent with this vision, Bonjour carries out serial research focused each time on a specific material, thoroughly exploring its expressive potential. A few years ago, for example, he used carbon paper to create large black fields with a vibrant texture; more recently, he has turned to a technological material with a strong visual and emotional impact, such as X-ray films, integrating them into his works to add new levels of interpretation. François Bonjour's stylistic signature combines rigour and lyricism: his compositions, though born of humble elements, achieve a subtle and essential elegance.

The result is a balanced and immediately recognisable visual language that communicates in a silent but direct way. The “gentle elegance” of his works, imbued with material memory, invites the observer to reflect intimately on the relationship between man, the city and the passing of time.

François Bonjour is a Swiss artist (painter and sculptor) born in Cham, in the canton of Zug, on 29 August 1948. Originally from the village of Lignières in Neuchâtel, he showed a strong artistic vocation from a young age. He completed his training by attending the Art School in Turin and then graduating from the Centro Scolastico Industrie Artistiche (CSIA) in Lugano, specialising in decorative arts and interior design. Settling in Ticino, he lives and works in Dino, in the hills above Lugano, where he also has his studio. Throughout his long career, which began in the 1970s, Bonjour has developed a consistent and personal style. Since 1981, his name has appeared in the Catalogue of Contemporary Swiss Artists – testimony to the recognition he has enjoyed at national level since the beginning – and he is an active member of Visarte, the professional association of visual artists in Switzerland. His artistic biography is characterised by continuous development and experimentation with materials, while maintaining an internal consistency: as has been written, “Bonjour's career is constantly evolving [...] and faithfully reflects the torments and hopes that underpin human life”. This relentless pursuit is reflected both in his paintings and in his sculptures.