Jean Jacques Bastarache

The themes of Jean's paintings revolve around key cultural and personal issues such as being lost in a robotic world of consumerism, finding a personal identity when faced with options that are often dehumanized, and the beauty of the animal kingdom often lost inside of an overpopulated planet, and existential issues of meaning and purpose at odds with current therapy and promises of false happiness.

Born Jean Jacques Bastarache in Montreal, Canada, Jean was raised in Westland Michigan.

A well known art historian, Gombrich’s stated; “There is no such thing as art. There are only artists.”

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This statement may well suit the work of Jean Bastarache. For as he appeared on the art scene in the late 80’s his style of painting perplexed the main stream art world. At the time there was no category for his style of work. Yet he kept painting and showing and selling out his shows at the Julie Rico Gallery in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California up until the year 2000. Jean also showed works on the Lollapalooza tour's “Mean Art Tent” exhibition organized by Julie Rico in 1995. Today for the first time we present some of the work that was available as paintings during that period as archival prints available for purchase. On occasion originals will be available for purchase.

Traipsing throughout Jean’s work are symbols, signs and images that deliver ulterior messages. His use of realism in the anthropomorphic creatures provides a melange of subliminal messages.

Many of the details related to the characters in the paintings are so fine one must sometimes use a magnifying glass to see them. He paints with a 1 hair brush!

The third gallery located just up the street from the other gallery. Artist Manfred Menz sponsored this gallery. Jean continued to hang the art here. He produced 1 show here titled "Tortured Dreams" 2000