Great Artists
Djabril Boukhenaïssi
How do you paint a memory? This rising artist sketches his past experiences and then recreates them in dreamy pastels layered on oil paint. If you're inspired by this artist, try painting your own memories.
[Art credit: "A Night with O.R.," by Djabril Boukhenaïssi, New York Times, Oct. 22, 2025]
Djabril Boukhenaïssi was born in 1993 in France, where he lives and works. His unique, ethereal paintings have captured the attention of American galleries and art critics. Laura Bannister of The New York Times included Boukhenaïssi in a story about "five rising contemporary artists" (Oct. 22, 2025). He also had his first U.S. solo show last fall at the prestigious Mariane Ibrahim Gallery in Chicago.
Nocturnal, misty light give Boukhenaïssi's paintings a surreal sense of mystery and fantasy. His palette is predominantly made of shades of violet, pink, blue, and chalky white. His work is inspired by his reading and studying of art history, philosophy, literature, and poetry. When he was growing up in the suburbs of Paris, he spent many hours studying the masters at the Musée du Louvre.
