Self taught artist Harry James is showcasing his latest collection of female figures at Quai des Artistes from November 12th until December 11th.

Through his art, James manages to blend sensuality with power in a series of works that honour the female form. The exhibition, titled ‘Inconnues’, is the second in a monthly series at Quai des Artistes, part of the venues effort to revive the quartier through art.

The French artist, whose career has spanned everything from designing for Disneyland Paris to creating costumes for live performances, has developed a distinctive approach to depicting women. His latest works focus particularly on the female back, drawn to what he sees as the complexity of its lines, curves and depths.

“Through my art, I aim to connect femininity with felinity, force with grace,” James told Monaco Life at the exhibition opening on Wednesday.

This connection between women and felines runs throughout the collection. James paints his subjects with what he describes as a leonine quality: strong, nurturing and sensual. In a visual trick, he even incorporates subtle female silhouettes within the features of the big cats that appear in some works.

Nude as a way of freedom and expression

His preferred palette includes mainly pink tones, which he finds ideal for capturing light and creating depth. However, his choice of subject matter goes far beyond aesthetic preference.

“I prefer nude, partly because of my academic background, but also because I feel that through nude, models become more confident, more comfortable with their bodies,” he explained. “It’s like they’re alone, just them and their thoughts in a meditation state.”

This understanding derives from James’s own experience as an artists’s model, a rather unusual chapter in his career that gave him insight into the vulnerability and contemplation involved in posing.

The works in ‘Inconnues’ represent what James calls spontaneous, unreflective inspiration, with figures that emerge through instinct rather than planning. These women remain mysterious, true to the exhibitions title, their identities unknown, captured in moments of private grace…

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Main photo credit: Monaco Life. More photos can be found in the photo gallery below…