A work between mythology, bibliophily and freedom
For over thirty years, Sophie SAINRAPT developed a singular artistic universe : a painter, printmaker, designer, ceramist and illustrator of fine press editions, she has created an immediately recognizable universe where femininity, eroticism, ancient mythologies and the world's collective imagination intertwine.
Her work is both deeply contemporary and steeped in timeless references, she draws as much from poetry as from the primitive arts, and above all, from her observation of the female body.
A drawing and printmaking artist
After studying law and political science, Sophie Sainrapt worked at the French Senate before deciding to devote herself entirely to artistic creation.
Drawing forms the foundation of her work. Her large charcoal pieces, inks and engravings demonstrate a remarkable mastery of line. The strokes are free, expressive, the forms generous and rounded. This devotion to drawing also infuses her work as a painter and ceramist. From one medium to another, the artist pursues the same quest : to give form to the impulses, desires and transformations that shape the human condition.
The feminine as a creative force
The female figure lies at the heart of her world. Sophie Sainrapt's women appear as embodiments of freedom, desire, knowledge and transformation, celebrated in the fullness of their forms.
Eroticism occupies an essential place. Without provocation, it becomes a symbolic language through which she explores the relationships between the body, the imagination and the sacred.
An encounter around artists’ books
Sophie Sainrapt holds a significant place in the world of artist's books and bibliophily. It was through the editions of Renard Pâle that Sophie Sainrapt's path first crossed that of Galerie Retour De Voyage.
Her engravings and illustrations accompany the texts of Paul Verlaine, Pierre Louys, George Bataille, Rene Vivien, Gilbert Lely, and Fernando Arrabal
Travels, China, and dialogue of cultures
While deeply personal, Sophie Sainrapt's , work has been enriched by travel and artistic encounters.
China occupies a special place in her journey. She has travelled there on several occasions, participated in various exhibitions and kept a drawn travel journal during a long journey in 2017. These experiences have nourished both her perspective and her drawing practice. Galerie Retour De Voyage supported Sophie for an exhibition in Shenzhen in 2019.
More recently, Sophie Sainrapt has begun a collaborative project with artist Emmanuelle Renard. This partnership has given rise to several projects in which their respective worlds come together without ever becoming one and the same. The resulting works reflect a shared desire to explore new artistic territories while enriching one another's creative approaches.
Between primitive arts and contemporary mythologies
A passionate collector of African objects and traditional arts, Sophie Sainrapt acknowledges the influence of these cultures on her work. Hybrid figures, symbolic animals, metamorphoses and founding stories weave through her art like echoes of a universal memory.
These influences are joined by Mediterranean mythologies., symbolist poetry and a constant fascination with the stories that have accompanied humanity since its origins.
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Exhibition Barroco
A four-handed exhibition, in duo with the artist Emmanuelle Renard.
Oil paintings on paper, original and previously unseen, following the meeting of the two artists at the engraver Pasnic's studio. A fusion of two styles, an explosion of colors.
At the Galerie Retour De Voyage, from September the 2 nd to Otcober the 10 th 2026.