At just 23 years old, local artist Léa Girard is already making a name for herself in the world of contemporary art. With her vibrant, emotionally charged paintings, Girard’s work has attracted attention from art collectors and critics alike, marking her as one of the most promising young talents in the Swiss art scene.
Girard, who grew up in the picturesque town of Sion, uses bold colors, abstract shapes, and expressive brushstrokes to convey deep, personal themes of identity, transformation, and the human experience. Her pieces, often described as “visceral” and “raw,” are displayed in galleries across the region, with her latest exhibition, Echoes of the Soul, currently on display at the Galerie d’Art Sion.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the connection between the mind and the body,” Girard said. “The way emotions manifest physically, the way they can be felt in the chest or the stomach—I try to capture that in my paintings. It’s not just about what you see, but what you feel.”
Her distinctive approach to art has earned praise from critics, including Emily Breguet, an art curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Geneva, who called Girard “one of the most exciting young artists to emerge in recent years.”
“She has a rare ability to take deeply personal themes and make them universally relatable,” Breguet said. “Her work invites the viewer into her emotional world, creating an almost tactile experience.”
Girard’s path to becoming a professional artist has been unconventional. Growing up in a family that did not prioritize the arts, she turned to painting as a means of personal expression during her teenage years. She initially pursued a degree in psychology, but after a semester of college, Girard made the decision to leave school and focus entirely on her art.
“I was struggling with what I was supposed to do with my life,” she explained. “Psychology felt like something I was supposed to do, but painting was something I needed to do. I couldn’t ignore it anymore.”
Girard moved to Lausanne, where she enrolled in an intensive art program at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, honing her technique and developing her signature style. She said that her early work was heavily influenced by the emotional turbulence she felt as a young adult trying to find her place in the world.
“Those years were difficult—lots of self-doubt and confusion,” she recalled. “My work was messy, chaotic, and a lot of it was about trying to figure myself out. But that’s what art is, right? A process of discovery.”
Girard’s breakthrough came in 2023, when her solo exhibition In Between Worlds at the prestigious Art Basel in Zurich received critical acclaim. The exhibit, a collection of large-scale, abstract paintings, was praised for its evocative use of color and form, blurring the lines between abstraction and figuration.
“Léa’s work feels like it’s always in motion, like it’s just on the edge of becoming something else,” said François Meunier, an art collector and supporter of Girard’s work. “It’s not static; it’s constantly shifting, pulling you in and making you reflect.”
What sets Girard apart from many of her peers is her ability to integrate elements of other art forms into her paintings. She has collaborated with musicians, poets, and dancers, using their performances as inspiration for her artwork. For Girard, the idea of a multi-sensory experience is central to her creative process.
“I think art is about connection,” she said. “Whether it’s through sound, movement, or color, it’s all part of the same thing. I love collaborating with artists from different disciplines—it opens up new ways of seeing the world.”
Despite her young age, Girard has already set ambitious goals for her future. She plans to travel extensively in the coming years, with an upcoming residency in New York City that will allow her to immerse herself in the vibrant international art scene. She also hopes to eventually teach and mentor younger artists, passing on the lessons she’s learned from her own journey.
“I want my art to be something that people can connect with, that makes them feel something,” Girard said. “But more than that, I want to inspire others to follow their own path, no matter how unconventional it might be.”
For now, Léa Girard’s work continues to captivate audiences across Switzerland and beyond. With her raw emotional depth, her innovative approach to painting, and her relentless dedication to her craft, it’s clear that Girard is only just getting started.
“I don’t want to define myself by one moment or one piece of art,” she said. “I want to keep evolving, keep pushing boundaries, and see where it takes me.”
