Profile
Patrick Gerola
Contemporary Artist | Born in Brussels, 1959
Artistic Journey
Born to a mother who was a painter, Patrick Gerola grew up in an artistic environment. Trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, he collaborated for two years as a scenographer with the ballet company “L’Ensemble” at Mudra, under the direction of choreographer Micha Van Hoecke and Maurice Béjart.
In 1983, he moved to Japan where his career quickly flourished.
Technique and Inspiration
His “Al fresco” technique merges Western and Eastern influences. He creates his own colors from pure pigments mixed with resin, giving his works exceptional transparency and luminosity.
Patrick Gerola draws inspiration from light and nature. His work includes easel paintings and monumental pieces. His famous flowery fields with generous hues reveal the influence of music that accompanies him during creation, his gestures evoking dance and the movements of a rake in a zen garden.
Between Europe and Japan
At the crossroads of European and Japanese cultures, his work combines the subtlety of the Japanese brush and the richness of Japanese light with European artistic abundance.
Exhibitions and Major Achievements
- 1985: Artistic decoration at the French Pavilion, Tsukuba World Exposition
- 1988: Co-founder of Paxo Studio, a collective of innovative artists
- 1989-2003: Work in his Kamakura studio
- 2005: Retrospective at the Mercian Karuizawa Art Museum
- 2005: “Japonida,” 20m² work for Belgian Day at the Aichi World Exposition
- 2006: Retrospective at the Imperial Villa of Numazu
- 2016: Establishment of his Tokyo studio
- 2016: Retrospective at the Ikeda Museum of 20th Century Art
- 2019: Retrospective at Krystal & Glam gallery, Tokyo
- 2021: Mobile Art Exhibition “Art on 4 wheels”
Cultural Mediations
- 1994: Exhibitions at Belgian fairs in Osaka and Nagoya in the presence of Prince Philippe
- 1998: Acquisition by the Belgian State of “Kamakura in full bloom,” Belgian Embassy in Tokyo
- 1999: Organization of the Belgian fair in Numazu
- 2000: Visit to his studio by Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz
- 2003: Nomination as honorary citizen of Forest (Brussels)
- 2014: Hosting Prince Laurent during the “Brussels Japan Night” exhibition
- 2016: Monumental sculpture for the 150th anniversary of Belgian-Japanese friendship at Roppongi Hills, Tokyo
Other Artistic Achievements
- 2000: 12m² painting for Helena Berthelius’ dance company
- 2004: Series of 12 paintings for the catamaran “Douce France”
- 2005: Packaging design for a Japanese cosmetics company
- 2006: Creation of serigraphs on Japanese silk
- 2008: Realization of 10 monumental painted sculptures (2.20m)
- 2010: Production of a musical album for his wife Tomomi Hida
Public Collections
- Ikeda Museum of 20th Century Art, Japan
- Belgian State (Belgian Embassy in Tokyo)
- All Nippon Airways, Japan
- Belgian State (INASTI), Belgium