Top 10 Emerging Artists of the Year

Today, Artsper is looking back on 10 emerging artists we have discovered in the last 12 months. These colorful works, full of life and all have the characteristic of escaping everyday life. Let yourself be transported to 10 whimsical universes that will awaken your curiosity and perhaps inspire your creative imagination. We guarantee a touch of amazement!

1. Julien Calot

To begin our top 10 most influential artists of the year 2020 in style, we present to you Julien Calot, an artist filled with imagery relating to waves and the surf, who translates this passion into his art. Made up of small multicolored dots, his works transport us into a dimension where color is everything: royal blue, crimson red or dahlia yellow. The warm tints that color each of these hypnotic, large scale pieces embody the sparkling universe of this artist. Caught between an exotic and exuberant nature, the contemporary euphoria of an urban life made from intermingling illusions and fantasies. Julien Calot tries to reveal life in all its complexity through the unique radiance that characterizes each of his creations.

2. Gina Vor

The minimalist canvases by the Swiss artist Gina Vor, are an ode to sweetness. The abstract brushstrokes that animate each of these works, create art that is free from any symbolic or figurative representation. It is up to you to interpret these canvases and to discover the rhythm of a new language. Or maybe you prefer to allow yourself to be pulled into a cacophony of pastel tones. Gina Vor expresses universal philosophical ideas through her free and powerful brush strokes. Hers is an almost curative art that illustrates the depth of the soul. Through a series of watercolors, much like through a microscope, she illustrates patterns within a cell in blue and powder pink. Dive into her meditative universe on Artsper!

3. Alphée

“Against the current” is the mantra that the artist Alphée advocates. This is also what makes up his artistic identity, with his use of abstract and raw materials. His message is clear, “take your time”. In an ever-changing world where human beings compete with technology and the diktat of productivity, Alphée strives to guide us back to our basic feelings. Doubt, error, confusion, and failure are all part of the human experience, and nothing is more comfortable than uncertainty for this Parisian artist. His way of depicting emotions and human values is what separates this artist from others. Thanks to the enthusiasm and magic with which he creates, he infuses his works with a unique and intriguing freshness.

4. Julie Lagier

Teetering on the edge of surrealism and absurdity, Julie Lagier’s universe has been recognized and praised many times this year. This photographer distorts an overly orthodox gendered representation of the body, constantly playing on the detachment and strange assembly of both male and female faces, busts, and legs through unique poses. From the control of the light to the accuracy of the expression of her models, she succeeds in capturing the nudity of human bodies with modesty and poetry to give us a personal and unsettling image. Between muffled decors and a hazy atmosphere, each scene is carefully considered. This talented photographer uses her art to illustrate her most intimate dreams, but also her demons. Put your reality on pause and allow yourself to embark upon a journey into her surreal universe!

5. Hildegarde Handsaeme

Straight out of Belgium, Hildegarde Handsaeme is one of those influential women artists to know. By placing the feminine figure in the center of her artistic creations, this self-taught artist offers viewers a message of love and tenderness through sweet and balanced works. Her style is unique, and each of her paintings has defining features: the majority focus on a female figure, a sensual and cubic geometry of bodies, and a harmonious and controlled setting. The sensuality of these works does not allow anyone to be indifferent and makes her a recognizable artist, using her intuition in art.

6. Pauline Di Valentin

As a young french artist, Pauline Di Valentin made ink painting her preferred tool of expressing herself, allowing her to add minute nuances to her intoxicating works. By juxtaposing urban images with nature, she manages to revive forgotten buildings that are buried in emerald green vegetation. Her works are full of details and often include an isolated silhouette, which seems to invite us to join her. The choice of a precise medium and a palette of colors similar in each of her works plunges us into a continuous narrative. It is that of a mysterious and lyrical imagined universe in which you can lose yourself.

7. Gabrielle Rul

No support or material is too challenging for Gabrielle Rul. This french artist enlists a multitude of elements onto which she aims to offload her artistic imagination. Whether it is glass, cardboard, or fabric, the creativity of this young artist is overflowing and allows her to feed a romantic, poetic, and sincere art. By combining authentic and light representations of humans and their environment, this multi-talented artist offers her viewers a real hymn to beauty and melancholy. Through her elegant and delicate works, Gabrielle Rul offers us a breath of fresh air and optimism, which was certainly welcome in this challenging year.

8. Nathanael Koffi

Bathed in street culture, the artist Nathanael Koffi made skateboarding his main area of interest. He puts his passion for skating at the center of his art by reusing old boards as his canvas. His style is free, audacious, and joyful, a reflection of his personality. His colorful works play on mixtures of tones and superimpositions of warm and lively materials. It is this energy and risk-taking that make Nathanael Koffi an artist who is appreciated by a generation of new collectors in search of originality. Here is another artist to follow who has not finished surprising us yet!

9. Mara Toledo

In need of a holiday? All you have to do is open your eyes to dive into the bewitching oasis painted by the Brazilian artist Mara Toledo. A true master of color, she takes us on a sensorial journey, to the heart of exotic and heavenly settings. Mara Toledo shares with us the memories of a childhood gone by in the Brazilian countryside. The traditional spirit and the beauty of a rich and abundant natural environment are reflected in his works. His works are warm, simple, and soothing. Mara Toledo is one of those artists, who through the unique nature of their art, invites the viewer to experience a moment of wonder and rest for the soul.

10. Angela Morris-Winmill

Painting, sculpture, fashion… The Australian artist Angela Morris-Winmill puts her ingenuity and versatility into practice through her art. This very fashionable artist arouses attraction and curiosity: sold-out exhibitions, growing media attention, and proximity to the world of fashion… Her work is powerful and never ceases to amaze. By anchoring humans to their natural environment, she manages to create a work that is both timeless and evolutionary. By playing on sinister elements, like these gold Buffalo Skulls, which she manages to make sensual, Angela Morris-Winmill is an artist in a class of her own. 

Some of these artists may have intrigued you with their sensitivity and originality. Others because of the lively and hopeful message they bring in these difficult times. And as it is obvious that this sample does not represent all the new talents who have set the pace for the year 2020, we invite you to delve into a multitude of talented emerging artists on Artsper.