As a child, André Brönnimann was very interested in art and drawing. Self-taught, he took a break from his painting between the ages of 20 and 30, returning to his art when he decided to enter the Telecom Phone Book Art Competition in 1995. He has been painting ever since.
André was born of a Swiss father and English mother in Auckland, in 1963. He spent the first five years of his life in New Zealand, after which his family returned to Switzerland where André completed his schooling. When André was 20, he came home to New Zealand. Having a great interest in surrealism and creating something that has never existed before, the challenge and excitement of getting his idea onto canvas gives him a buzz. “Living in this beautiful country of ours provides me with ample inspiration. I also receive inspiration by looking at art. “I love being an artist, I can make my own rules and I get excited about an idea or image in my head that I know would look great on canvas.” André is a self-employed carpet cleaner and flood restorer when he is not painting. “I like having the freedom to only paint 100% what I want. I have turned down many commissions because I had no interest in the subject matter, a luxury one may not be able to afford if painting income is your bread and butter. Salvador Dali was a great influence in the early years of André’s painting but over the past decade he has been concentrating on portraiture and photorealism. He plans to combine surrealism and portraiture in the coming years.
See more about André here.
