Next Big Things: Alexandre Benjamin Navet

His joyful work spans textiles and decoration, oil pastel frescoes, objets d’art, drawings, and watercolors

Colorful paintings of interiors with vases and tables displayed on a wall in a classic room setting.
In the Studio of Alexandre Benjamin Navet, 2020 Photo: Gregory Copitet, Courtesy of Galerie Derouillon

Multidisciplinary creative Alexandre Benjamin Navet comfortably straddles the worlds of fine art, fashion, and design. His joyful work spans textiles and decoration, oil pastel frescoes, objets d’art, drawings, and watercolors. His exuberant illustrations recently transformed the façades and interiors of Van Cleef & Arpels boutiques around the world.

Artist sitting on a small chair surrounded by colorful floral artwork and paint supplies in a bright studio.
Alexandre Benjamin Navet in his Paris studio. Photo: COURTESY OF VAN CLEEF & ARPELS

Unique style: “I love bold color combinations that surge into space and engage directly with the viewer,” he says. “I also love playing with perspectives and scale.”

Inspirations: “Ornamental details in architecture and ceramics are ubiquitous in my vocabulary. I also love Giorgio de Chirico for his theatrical compositions and the spontaneity of David Hockney.”

Colorful abstract painting featuring vases on tables and vibrant rooms with geometric patterns displayed on a wall.
In the Studio of Alexandre Benjamin Navet, 2020 Photo: Gregory Copitet, Courtesy of Galerie Derouillon

Special collaborations: Navet has crafted window displays for Hermès in Paris and in situ painted frescoes for Baccarat’s boutique, bar, and lounge in Milan. Recently, he had the opportunity to paint a fresco in a dreamy apartment in Paris’s fourth arrondissement decorated by Pierre Yovanovitch, as well as for the l’Hotel des Arts in Toulon. “I love grand scales and the dialogues with the places and the viewers,” says Navet. He has also recently finished some artworks for Galerie Derouillon, which are on display in his studio, and is busy working on a series of rugs and carpets for the Codimat Collection. 

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2020 Winter Issue under the headline “Next Big Things.” Subscribe to the magazine.

Click here to see the full list of “Next Big Things.” 

“Alexandre reinterprets a style from the ’40s and ’50s in a very contemporary but also a very humorous way. His work is reminiscent of Jean Cocteau but with a totally unique approach.”

Pierre Yovanovitch, designer

Colorful abstract painting of an elephant and calf on a textured white wall in a room with molding and wood floor.
In the Studio of Alexandre Benjamin Navet, 2020 Photo: Gregory Copitet, Courtesy of Galerie Derouillon