Alexis Sergent

Alexis Sergent is a French painter born in 1992; he lives and works in Leiden, the Netherlands. He obtained his DNSEP (Master of Fine Arts) from the Beaux-Arts d’Angers in 2015. Following a background focused on contemporary art and multi-medium experimentation, he returned to his primary passion: figurative painting.

Rooted at the intersection of literature and psychoanalysis, his practice focuses on creating imagery driven by meaning. He extracts symbolic elements from both his own experiences and observations, then assembles them to compose a scene. While this arrangement gives direction to the work, the meaning remains deliberately open - refusing to impose a fixed narrative, he invites each viewer to bring their own interpretation to the canvas.

Technically, he follows traditional oil painting techniques. Starting with a precise preparatory drawing and a structured composition, the image gradually emerges through successive layers. This slow process can extend over several months for a single canvas.

In his recent 2026 work, his practice expands to reflect the places he inhabits and travels through, from Amsterdam to Colombia. He also dives into the theme of “painting within painting,” adding a self-reflective layer to his exploration of sight, memory, and representation.