Ben Arpea Italian / French, b. 1989

French artist Ben Arpea (b. 1989) lives and works in Paris. Born into a family of collectors and art lovers, he was immersed in a rich artistic environment from an early age, beginning to draw and paint since childhood.

Arpea gained recognition in 2020 with a series of paintings that established a singular visual language combining geometric abstraction and semi-figurative shapes. Working with flat areas of color and textured layers of paint, he has developed a distinctive technique by painting on unframed jute and linen canvases, emphasizing the materiality and rawness of the surface. His work draws inspiration from modern and contemporary figures such as Joan Miró, David Hockney, Jonas Wood, and André Breton.

Revisiting the centuries-old canons of landscape and still life, Arpea reinterprets these classical motifs through a contemporary lens. His practice reflects the sensibility of a new generation of artists engaging across art, fashion, and design, with a focus on color and material as immediate, sensory experiences.

The Mediterranean is a recurring source of inspiration and a central point of reference in his ongoing exploration of color and matter. Oscillating between semi-figuration and abstraction, Arpea’s dreamlike compositions are imbued with mystery, presenting the vewer with suspended moments in a timeless setting.