Bénédicte Gimonnet (b. Clermont-Ferrand, France, 1969) has lived, worked, and been part of the arts ecosystem in the UAE for over 13 years. Bénédicte's painting practice comprises a deliberate explosion of bold colours and technical innovation, mixing supposedly unmixable painting materials together, and creating immersive, intricate, and visually seductive environments. Through a recent exploration of personal issues with identity loss and recovery, the artist reconciled with her repressed Peruvian roots, creating new paintings that depict lush and exuberant rainforest environments whose extravagant vegetation acts as an allegory for the mind, mapping a journey of self-discovery and reconnecting with its roots. The strong colour palette references Peruvian folklore, while the compositions mimic the Amazonian rainforest that is deliberately not botanically, geographically, or seasonally correct to reflect the diversity of colourful experiences that shape one’s individuality and identity.
Bénédicte held several solo exhibitions in the UAE, including In Search of Eden at Aisha Alabbar Gallery, Dubai (2023); Confluence (a collaborative exhibition with Dr. Najat Makki) at La Galerie, Alliance Française, Dubai (2021); Between Macro and Micro at La Galerie, Alliance Française, Dubai (2019); Organicus Mundus at Khalidiya Palace, Abu Dhabi (2011); and Infinity Small, Infinity Large at Alliance Française, Abu Dhabi (2009).
She has participated in numerous group exhibitions in the UAE and internationally, most recently Beyond the City 3, Feminin Pluriel, Mercedes Benz, Dubai, UAE (2025), as well as Memory at Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival, Al Jazeera Al Hamra, Ras al Khaimah, UAE (2025); Abu Dhabi Art with Aisha Alabbar Gallery at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi (2024); Beyond the City II, Feminin Pluriel at l’Alliance Française, Dubai (2024); the 38th and 39th Annual Exhibition of the Emirates Fine Arts Society at Sharjah Art Museum (2023–24); RAK ART Exhibition @ Sunken Garden at Ritz-Carlton DIFC, Dubai (2023); Ta’ayosh, Coexistence at University of Sharjah (2023); Nature at Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival (2023); While the Coffee Grounds Settle at Fathom Gallery in Washington, DC (2022); Disconnect & Reconnect (Part one and two) at Etihad Modern Art Gallery and Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi; Emirates The Art Circle Award 2021 at Manarat Al Saadiyat (2022); Emirates Fine Arts Society Exhibition at Expo 2020, Dubai (2022); Interconnection: 37th Annual Exhibition at Sharjah Art Museum (2021); Together We Art at LP4Y, Champs-Elysées, Paris (2021); Caravane & Guests at the French Residence, Institut français, Abu Dhabi (2019); Travelling Light at Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Abu Dhabi (2017); Accrochages at Salwa Zeidan Gallery, Abu Dhabi (2014–15); City, Desert and Sea at Alliance Française, Abu Dhabi (2014); National Day at Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Abu Dhabi (2013); Watchwomen and Dreamcatchers at Institut Français, Abu Dhabi (2013); Regards sur les Emirats at the Embassy of France and Ministry of Culture, UAE (2012); Globe at Salwa Zeidan Gallery, Abu Dhabi (2010–11); London Art Fair with corbettPROJECTS (2009); Red Dot New York and Red Dot Miami with Cynthia Corbett Gallery (2009); Français of the Year 2008 Ceremony in London (2008); Slick Paris at Le 104 with corbettPROJECTS (2008); AAF New York with The Cynthia Corbett Gallery (2007–2009); Light and Colour at Cynthia Corbett Gallery, London (2007); and Deutsch Postbank Exhibition in London (2005).
Bénédicte received the inaugural Art Circle Award, Abu Dhabi, UAE in 2021. She is also a member of the Emirates Fine Arts Society. The artist earned a BFA in painting from UAL: Wimbledon College of Arts in 2006.
Bénédicte’s works are in a number of collections around the world, including Living Collection in Hong Kong, Goldman Sachs and the Women’s Museum in Dubai, Abu Dhabi Executive Office, The Art Circle Collection and Khalidiya Palace in Abu Dhabi, Champagne PG P&F in Epernay, France, and Clerical Medical in London, UK, in addition to private collections in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, USA, Russia, Australia, Japan, and across Europe.