Thank you, Thierry Lefort, for revealing life in colors.
Santa Monica, CA, September 2026
Had I known that fate would lead me, on that very day, to the French painter Thierry Lefort, I would never have arrived cloaked in white. I would have stepped into the moment adorned in the boldest, most riotously colorful garment my wardrobe could offer, ready to meet a man who sees the world as a symphony of pigments.
From the City of Light to the City of Angels
Why did Thierry Lefort begin drawing and painting at twelve years old? The story doesn’t say, but what I do know is that he wasn’t born into a family of artists. His impulse came from deep within, his own and personal way of approaching the world, its light, its colors, its beauty. To perfect his “trait de crayon” (pencil line work), he spent two years in China, in the Henan Province.
Then came the desire to discover something new. For no particular reason, in 2017, Lefort chose Los Angeles. He was immediately struck by the natural light. Since then, he has been living two parallel realms: one near Paris, and one in Studio City, California. He keeps a studio in each.
Take a deep look at his creations, and you will understand why the phrase “Renaissance de la Figuration” has been attached to his work. He elevates ordinary urban landscapes, streets, train stations, parking lots, power poles, by revealing a silent, sometimes unsuspected beauty.
Nature and landscape hold a special place in his heart and in his hands. His love for them is contagious. You feel an irresistible urge to step into his paintings and wander through the scenes he creates. That is why Lefort does not feel compelled to paint figures or animals; he invites your imagination to roam freely and escape. I thank him for that; and you should to.
Lefort’s colors don’t blend; they are assembled on the canvas like pieces of a puzzle. He always includes the blue he created in 2024 for one of the most prestigious manufacturers of fine art paints, Le Franc Bourgeois, an historic French company renowned for its high‑quality oils, acrylics, gouaches, and inks. And guess what? His blue is called “Bleu Californien Lefort,” a tribute to the Californian light and atmosphere.
In 2025, Lefort exhibited at The Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica, California, and again in 2026 (see below). And the unimaginable coincidence is that the hotel is painted in almost the exact same blue as his Bleu Californien Lefort.
The Colors of Burbank | Mural
In 2021, Lefort’s work was being showcased in an art gallery in Los Angeles, California. One of the paintings depicted a landscape in Burbank, California. A member of Burbank’s Cultural Affairs Commission was struck by it. Lefort was subsequently commissioned to create a mural for the city known as the “Media Capital of the World”, due to its concentration of major entertainment and media companies such as Warner Bros., Disney, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, and Cartoon Network Studios.
The impressive project was completed in 2022, after one month of work, six hours a day, every day, carried out entirely by Lefort himself.
Stretching 26 meters long and 6 meters high, (156 square meters), Lefort’s vision of the city consumed 150 liters of paint and more than thirty paint brushes.
His monumental work stands in full view at the corner of Orange Grove Avenue and San Fernando Boulevard.
| In U.S. measurements: – 85½ feet by 19½ feet – 1,680 square feet of painted surface – 40 gallons of paint – A $1,000,000 insurance policy to safeguard the entire painting phase. |
under the same sky | Gallery 33 at The Georgian Hotel, Santa Monica
Lucky Angelenos, and visitors to the City of Angels, can immerse themselves in Lefort’s brushstrokes and feel the depth and warmth of his colors, almost as if the paintings were rendered in 3D. His works are on view at Gallery 33 at The Georgian Hotel until October 9, 2026.
| Just steps from the Santa Monica Pier, The Georgian first opened its doors in 1933, swiftly becoming one of Los Angeles’ most iconic seaside hotels. Within its turquoise walls, legends like Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe found refuge, adding their own shimmer to its storied past.
Gallery 33 |
My très personal impression
As I was being filled with waves of color while speaking with Thierry Lefort, Night Swim, his 2026 painting of the Venice Canals, hovered in the background. I couldn’t stop staring at it; I was convinced the shadows of the palm trees were using the tranquil water as a stage for a dance orchestrated by the wind.
But too late for me, Night Swim, part of the exhibition at Gallery 33, has already found its next keeper!
Thierry Lefort’s Contact
• Official Website: Thierry LEFORT
• Worldwide Representation and Distribution: Yoyo MAEGHT
Thierry Lefort’s work has been exhibited internationally, from monumental murals to gallery shows in Paris, Bordeaux, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and New York. His pieces reside in private collections as well as museum holdings across Europe, the United States, and Russia.