Modely Thibaud

Precious or raw pigments on canvas, panels painted with gold leaf, silks, inks, clays, and engobes… these are just some of the materials through which Modely Thibaud conveys joy. His blossoming works seem to promise an island, perhaps that of his mother, originally from Mauritius. Does the artist aspire to join the illustrious circle of "painters of happiness"—Raoul Dufy, Auguste Renoir, Pierre Bonnard, and of course Henri Matisse, whose talent Modely considers unparalleled? While the vibrant or pastel colors of his works delight the eye, the variety of their formats and supports is surprising, as he truly breaks free from conventions. From a painting hung in one's home to the immensity of a vast wall, or from a public garden to the intimacy of a chapel, he is certainly free from all dictates in an art world prone to compartmentalizing practices. "It's true, I like it when it's big and out of the ordinary, it absorbs the public. I like to spread art in the street. In Mauritius, murals are very present, there painting is a transmission," he confirms.

A versatile artist

"Extraordinary" is the perfect description for the immense, colorful silks created by the artist in 2025 to adorn the Chalucet Chapel in Toulon, now an exhibition space. These silk paintings required him to master a highly demanding technique where no corrections were allowed. He devoted three months of intense work to them. It is precisely this audacity and Matisse-like freedom that former Minister of Culture Jean-Jacques Aillagon praised: "Modely Thibaud is an artist, a painter more precisely, who never hesitates to confront his talent, his imagination, his desire to create, with the invitations he receives to engage with the most diverse architectural and urban contexts."

From painting to ceramics…

Nothing seems to be an obstacle for the young painter, whether the commission is public or private: “I want to try everything! I discovered ceramics by chance in 2020. The Cannes town hall wanted to sustainably renovate the Square du Caroubier in Le Suquet; ceramics was the obvious choice because it's a durable medium for outdoor use. I started working with it on this first garden project. I loved it.” The Cannes town hall will renew this confidence in the artist with a second garden to be adorned with color.

Modely's love affair with ceramics continues unabated. Awarded last year at the inaugural Paris Ceramic Art Fair for his work BabylonModely now receives commissions from all over the world. The renowned gallery owner of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Catherine Issert, has also succumbed to his charm and has been exhibiting his work since the beginning of the year. And while the local artist's fame now extends beyond the French Riviera, he humbly attributes his success to luck: "I met the right people at the right time and I've managed to stay close to them. I thank them; they'll know who they are." Constantly shuttling between his Parisian home and studio and his base in the heart of Le Suquet – the Cannes School of Fine Arts – Modely says he never stops working, creating, responding to calls for projects, and fulfilling commissions. "That's also a blessing, when you're an artist, to be able to live from your work." After all, wasn't Virgil right? Fortis fortune adiuvat (Fortune favors the bold)...