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Olivier Van Zeveren Biography
Olivier Van Zeveren first loved moving images. As a child in Gent, Belgium
and later as a teen in Paris,
he spent countless hours watching movies; drinking in the images, the ambiance,
the manipulation of light. With his gift for drawing, Van Zeveren hoped
that maybe–just maybe–he could illustrate movie posters and
in some small way become part of the magic.
At 15, he was accepted at Institut Saint Luc in Tournai, Belgium
where refined his instinctive painting style and began formal studies in
photography. He received with Honors a Certificat de Qualification, along
with counsel to master the “New Art” production technologies.
Van Zeveren continued his studies with an advanced program for
computer-based art production at Sup.Info.Com. in Valenciennes, France.
Ironically, during this period, Van Zeveren prolifically produced
“old-fashioned” art. Rebelling against technology, he created
numerous works across mediums, including acrylic, water colors and many
mixed-media pieces. It was also then that Van Zeveren discovered that by
amplifying light he could take the prosaic from ordinary to
extraordinary.
Van Zeveren went on to earn of one of four slots in a program for fine
artists at Centre National de la Bande Dessinee et de l’Image
(C.N.B.D.I) in Angouleme,
France.
His artistic and technical prowess fused impressively in his thesis film,
The David Hale Story, which received a nomination for Outstanding
Animated Short Film at Imagina 1994.
After graduation, Van Zeveren’s work for top computer companies in
Europe led him to travel extensively, including stints in Brussels,
Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona, Capetown, Johannesburg, Beirut, Moscow,
Cairo, Dubai, Istanbul, Bucharest, Riga, Lisbon and Tel-Aviv. During his
travels, he produced a body of photographic work that later became the
basis for Contraste, a series of oils on canvas. This series unearthed
what would ultimately become Van Zeveren’s process: capturing
light-driven images on film which he then reinterprets on canvas.
Van Zeveren continues to produce a steady stream of work for private
collectors and international exhibition. His paintings are part of the
private collections of celebrities such as actor Keith Hamilton Cobb and
animator Virginie Michel D’Annoville. His recent commissions
include work for the Tony Award nominee Courtney B. Vance and his wife,
Oscar nominee Angela Bassett.
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