Rémi Bertoche, the Landes artist who paints for Clint Eastwood, the Prince of Monaco and Tony Parker
He professional surfer, he was now for the biggest stars. Rémi Bertoche, 43-year-old painter, now travels around the world and sells his paintings to personalities like Clint Eastwood, Tony Parker, Djibril Cissé, the Prince of Monaco or the King of Bahrain. Still domiciled in Seignosse, his life has changed radically in just a few years, moving from the ocean to major exhibition halls. But the Landes artist still has his feet on the ground.
I drew on my boards – Rémi Bertoche
Originally from Seignosse, Rémi Bertoche quickly knew that he wanted to make his passion for surfing his profession. But already, at the time, he was very creative : “I always had a watercolor notebook with me, I drew on my boards. One day my sponsors saw what I was doing and said it would be nice to use my designs to illustrate catalogs or put them on T-shirts. ”
Gradually, from stands to stands, from event to event, the surfer turned artist is spotted and begins to make a place for himself in the world of art. In 2016, he became the official artist of the Carlton hotel, during the week of the Cannes film festival. “The idea was to do the portraits that were in the name of the superstars’ sequels. So the day Clint Eastwood came, I did his portrait. All the paintings were then hung in the bedrooms. It was a unique experience “, remembers the artist.
The official painter of Prince Albert of Monaco
Rémi Bertoche is spotted in the wake of Mathieu Chédid. The artist invites him on stage to paint live, just behind him. He also worked for Prince Albert of Monaco : “It is a combination of circumstances. Once I did a performance in Monaco, which was very popular, so I was called back. I found myself doing three performances for Prince Albert, including one in front of the two hundred guests of the princely family at the Monte-Carlo casino. These are unique moments in a career. Behind every painting, every painting, people have a story to tell.“
And one day, it’s the King of Bahrain who claims it. “It was a rather exceptional situation, I was in Dubai at the time, in an event. A number calls me, and a gentleman tells me he wants me for an event for the King of Bahrain.“The artist explains to him that he is for the moment in Dubai. The man who works for the king takes the plane and comes directly to seek the artist to bring him back with him.
“I had to paint first without looking at the king, but eventually when he walked past me and saw me painting, he wanted to stop and look at me, explains the artist. It was the upheaval in the protocol … They all went to get armchairs so that the king could sit and watch me paint. The king even extended his hand to me, and despite his court which advised him not to shake it because it was covered in paint, the king still insisted on shaking it.. “
Today Rémi Bertoche sells his paintings all over the world, to stars but also to individuals. For the 50×65 format, count 4,500 euros per canvas. From Thursday, September 30, the painter will exhibit his paintings in a contemporary art fair in Lausanne.