“My job is to be a mentor and to support talented artists who want to make their work known.” That’s the legacy I’d like to leave when I’m no longer here. This is how Yves Hernot, a French, Belgian and Australian national, describes the way in which he has given meaning to each of his days for decades.
A graduate of the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux Arts in Paris, he has worked as an auctioneer, curator and art teacher throughout his life. Today, he is a patron of the arts, and his passion, “in the manner of the enthusiasts of the Renaissance”, lies in the help he gives to those seeking a career in this field.
Named a Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite for his contributions to various artistic spheres in Europe and Australia, he is also behind the Yves Hernot Prize, which he created in Landivisiau in 2011, after learning of his grandparents’ connection with this Breton commune. This year, he has called on Queensland-born portrait painter Andrew Bonneau, whose work explores traditional European techniques, to compete for the Archibald Prize.
The Archibald Prize, considered to be the most important portraiture prize in Australia, has been in existence for over a hundred years. It was first awarded in 1921, and has been organised every year since then by the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, who award it to “the best portrait, preferably of an eminent man or woman in the fields of art, literature, science or politics, painted by an artist resident in Australasia during the 12 months preceding the date fixed by the Trustees for the submission of works”.
On this occasion, Yves Hernot teamed up with Andrew Bonneau to allow him to paint his portrait in a creative and innovative way. The painting, entitled Aussie Knight, took three months to complete. During this period, Andrew Bonneau visited Yves Hernot twice a week to discuss the future direction of his work and bring it to fruition.
The painting shows Yves Hernot posing in his flat in Sydney. With the city’s harbour as a backdrop, the patron, surrounded by a red cape, stands with his back slightly arched, looking like a Renaissance knight. This impression is also in keeping with the desired effect: “I wanted to pay tribute to my open homosexuality. I had to face many obstacles to achieve this. That’s why, in the painting, I’m very mannered, and my nails are painted mauve. I appreciate this eccentric side of my personality.”
Many other symbols refer to elements of the patron’s history. His family, for example, is illustrated by the presence of fabrics, which his mother collected, and a coat of arms. A pair of glasses in his right hand allow him to “show himself naked without artifice”. Finally, a metal suit of armour symbolises the “psychological and physical wounds” he has endured since birth, in particular because of his homosexuality.
If he is one of the finalists, Yves Hernot would be the first Franco-Belgian personality to be exhibited on the walls of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
“I would be very happy to see my portrait hanging on the walls of a museum, after fifty years of dedication to the arts. Also, to witness the success of such a talented painter as Andrew Bonneau, who could see his career take a meteoric rise, is a huge hope.”
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