![Bernard Buffet - Bowl with Cherries [1951]](http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1468/23432814944_315c131207_o.jpg)
Born in Paris in 1928, Bernard Buffet studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and worked mostly in solitude. He began to gain recognition for his highly mannered paintings after winning the Prix de la Critique jointly with Bernard Lorjou in 1948. Shortly thereafter, he was named one of the ten best post-war artists by the magazine Connaissance des Arts. Bowl with Cherries is an early still life rendered with dark, sharp lines and a muted gray palette. The rigidity of the line and the cold colours reflect the solitude felt by the post-war generation. Buffet committed suicide in 1999 because he was no longer able to paint due to the crippling effects of Parkinson's disease.
[Heritage Auctions - Oil on canvas, 27.3 x 34.9 cm]