Before I had kids, I started studying Chinese. I loved it but had to give it up when my first kid was born. The Fnac St-Lazare in Paris always had a section on books from Chinese writers. I would go there and buy whichever book was recommended. That is how I stumbled upon Fabienne’s Verdier book Passagère du Silence. It was an instant “coup de coeur” and since then she is my favorite painter.

In the book you can read about her courage and determination, to go to study to communist China in the 80s, be the first non Chinese woman to get an art post-graduated degree by the Sichuan Fine’s Art Institute and manage to train with masters that had survived the cultural revolution.

Unfortunately the book is only available in French, it was translated into English: The Dragon’s Brush but it is no longer available. So you either read it in French or find a second hand copy.

I find her work deeply moving. It is strong, it is philosophical, It is is a different interpretation of abstract art. Fabienne is a force of nature herself as much as the ones she paints.

Go check the videos about her work on her website. You will not regret it.