Two years after the exhibition that revealed the portraiture talents of a designer with an impressive career in the world of fashion, Mouvements Modernes is pleased to present the second solo show of Vanessa Seward.

The first part of the exhibition will take place at Galerie Montpensier before moving—still within the Palais Royal Gardens—to the gallery’s more intimate setting: its showroom.

Following a commission from a prestigious Parisian fashion house, Vanessa began working with oil pastels, a medium that allows her to combine the qualities of both pastel and oil paint. The powdery softness of pastel merges with the depth of oil paint, lending greater sensitivity and strength to her portraits.

Using this technique, the artist continues—through a new series—to explore femininity across different stages of life. In her view, a woman reaches a certain «peak of beauty andself-confidence» at various moments in her life. It is this fragile, sensitive, yet powerful moment that she captures in her portraits— works that are both powerful and delicate, ofering a nuanced reflection of femininity.

« Working in the fashion industry, one is surrounded by the most beautiful girls in the world. And when you have to choose a model from a photo, it’s difficult for me because I’ve always tried to prioritize another more elusive element, imperceptible on glossy paper but determining in life: charm.» In this sentence written in her book «Le Guide de la Gentlewoman,» published by JC Lattès in 2022, Vanessa Seward expressed her feelings.

«Vanessa only focuses on what she finds beautiful, and her definitoin of beauty is confusingly innocent.She looks down on the «dreamed» beauty, superficial, accommodating, egocentric, to probe the emotion, depth, and to track a fragile skin-deep vulnerability in the gaze of her heroines.

These characters are most often painted frontally and simply look ahead. Their pupils scrutinize us and talk to us until they intrude on us.

The silence of these portraits brings a melancholic breath and a little intimate music in the perception of the human being. These portraits are anything but silent. Each person will respond to them with their own sensitivity. » Elisabeth Vedrenne, February 2023