Since early 2000, Matthieu Pommier has been painting walls in the west of France. The Atlantic Ocean, maritime life and ports influenced his early work. In addition to practising graffiti, Matthieu studied applied arts, after which he also worked as an industrial designer for a while. Nowadays, he focuses entirely on his art.
Matthieu's paintings are figurative and colourful. For his paintings, he gradually switched from aerosols to acrylic and oil paints. By using these materials, he has gained more control over colours and the interaction between different shades.
In Matthieu's work, everything is fleetingly present and permeated with artificiality. His work always has a tale to tell, and yet, viewers have room for their own interpretation. The world he imagines is both dreamy and mundane, fictional and real.
For the subjects in his paintings, Matthieu combines personal memories and history with his surroundings. Buildings and objects are key. He studies the people he paints from a distance, as if they are extras in his work.
The National Maritime Museum is the place for stories from the maritime world, from a human perspective. A national museum in Amsterdam, with surprising programming and an internationally leading collection. The collection includes a unique collection of objects and is always the starting point for continuing to investigate how maritime history affects the present and the future.