Raphaël Barontini was born in 1984 in Saint-Denis (France). He lives and works in Paris. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and at the Hunter College of Art in New-York.
Barontini prioritizes challenging the historical canon surrounding cultures and territories marked by slavery or colonisation. His approach invites the exploration of new imaginaries and narratives enriched by a pluralistic history. His paintings, flags, banners, tapestries and ceremonial capes question the representation of power, its rituals, and its carnivalesque inversion. The medium of portrait being its main field of exploration.
Barontini’s works have been presented internationally, in institutions such as Panthéon (Paris, France), Palais de Tokyo (Paris, France), SCAD Museum of Art (Savannah, USA), the Currier Museum of Art (Manchester, USA), Museum of Arts and Design (New York, USA), the New Art Exchange Museum (Nottingham, UK), Museum of African Diaspora (San Francisco, USA), Instituto Tomie Othake (Sao Paulo, Brasil), Museum Rietberg (Zurich, Switzerland), MAC VAL (Vitry-sur-Seine, France), MO.CO (Montpellier, France), MAMC (Saint-Etienne, France), Louvre-Lens (Lens, France), and Louvre-Abu-Dhabi (UAE), among others…Raphaël Barontini completed different residency programs in Jacmel (Haïti), Los Angeles (USA), New Orleans (USA – Villa Albertine) & Singapore with LVMH Métiers d’Art.
Barontini’s works are held in major collections worldwide, including the SCAD Museum of Art (USA), Columbus Museum of Art (USA), FLAG Art Foundation (USA), LVMH Métiers d’Art Collection (France), CNAP (France), MAC VAL (France), Musée des Abattoirs (France), Frac Réunion (France), Frac Poitou-Charentes (France), and Fondation FIMINCO (France).
Raphaël Barontini is represented by Mariane Ibrahim (Chicago, Paris, Mexico City).
Photo by Jalil Ourgeudi © Jalil Ourguedi. Image courtesy of the artist.