Fabien Novarino

Born in Chambéry in 1963, in the heart of the French Alps, Fabien Novarino has carried since childhood a deep fascination for
mountain landscapes. The silent whiteness of snow-covered expanses, frozen lakes, and the purity of the first frost on the Savoyard peaks profoundly shaped his visual imagination. These majestic yet introspective landscapes became his first painting subjects, forging his sense of depth and emotional resonance.

From an early age, he discovered a passionate interest in drawing, painting, and modeling. This intimate connection with nature and open spaces nurtured his artistic eye and sensitivity. His move to southern France during adolescence brought a profound upheaval — a change in climate, scenery, and rhythm of life that acted as a sensory catalyst. It was then that an inner conviction emerged: he would become a painter.

After studying literature in Paris, Fabien first turned to sports and advertising photography, notably collaborating with the Vandystadt agency. Yet the call of pure creation soon caught up with him. At the age of 27, he decided to break away from his commercial career and devote himself entirely to art. His early works were rooted in the figurative tradition, influenced by the Provençal school. He painted sunlit landscapes, scenes of everyday life, and warm compositions where color vibrated and gesture asserted itself. His work quickly opened to more urban inspirations: New York, Paris, and the great capitals of modernity became visual sources of energy, offering striking contrasts that enriched his palette and expression.

A Fusion of Photography and Painting
From 2010 onward, Fabien embarked on a decisive artistic shift, integrating photography into his pictorial process. Using his own shots or images from specialized archives, he composed hybrid works at the crossroads of drawing, collage, and stencil. His language evolved toward a distinctly contemporary Neo Pop style, drawing inspiration both from 1950s Pop Art and from street culture and the visual codes of the entertainment world.
His pieces feature cinema icons, vintage pin-ups, and comic book figures— always rendered with elegance and remarkable technical mastery. His work soon attracted galleries and collectors worldwide. Exhibiting in France and abroad, his distinctive graphic universe established itself as a recognizable signature — a dialogue between popular culture and artistic sensitivity.

Glacial Glam: Photographic Fusion and Pictorial Interventions

In Glacial Glam, Fabien Novarino resonates with his Alpine heritage through a contemporary aesthetic language. The female figure, frozen in winter like a suspended moment, emerges from an icy, silent universe reminiscent of the snowy vastness of his childhood. The reflections captured in the ski mask become fragments of inner landscapes —shards of memory crystallized by time. Beyond the hyperrealism of the initial image, the artist deploys an instinctive plastic language: paint splashes, translucent glazes, scratches of material, and veils of abstraction disrupt visual perfection, introducing vibration, emotion, and humanity. The frontal composition of the portrait contrasts with the delicacy of its details, while the tension between photographic precision and pictorial gesture fully affirms his artistic identity. Here, the feminine face does not seek to reveal itself entirely — it protects itself, hints at itself, dreams of itself. It appears like a memory, between emergence and erasure. Beneath the icy aesthetic, an intimate warmth surfaces — that of a lifelong quest for beauty, silence, and elevation, rooted in the mountains of his birth. This work crystallizes the strength of his universe: visual power, inner poetry, and emotional intensity.

Fabien Novarino Bio.pdf