Elena and Michel Gran

About

Russian born Elena and Michel Gran are the most eminent practitioners of trompe l'oeil painting at work today, celebrated for their astounding technical skills, and the sleight of hand with which they marshal their deliberately deceptive compositions. The Grans present a unique feature in contemporary trompe-l'oeil painting in that they work together on the same canvas in such a symbiotic way that it is impossible to tell where the work of one ends, and the other begins. Throughout their combined illustrious careers they have become recognised for their distinctive interpretation of trompe l'oeil, rich in metaphor, vision and imagination combined with a profound understanding of historical reference. Their works belong to numerous important public and private collections worldwide perhaps most notably the Louvre Museum which purchased a work entitled ‘Red and Black' for the French National Museum of Cards.