Ray Besserdin

Ray Besserdin



About The Artist


“As a child I looked at a piece of paper and got excited at all the possible things I could create with it. Nothing has changed.” Ray Besserdin is an internationally acclaimed Paper Sculpture Artist from Melbourne, Australia. Born to artist parents, entirely self-taught techniques of sculpturing dimensionally with only sheet-formed papers, much like bas-relief, he began his passion with paper in childhood, about the time he also become fascinated with nature. Graduating from La Trobe University in Biological Sciences 1982, he immediately returned to his greater passion for art and soon began developing sculpture techniques with paper. Papers are mostly handmade cotton and mulberry stocks from Europe and Asia. Works range from miniature to over 6 by 3.8 metres, and abstract to ultra-realistic. Inspired by painters of the French Impressionist Period, Ray pioneered and developed a technique to achieve their kind of aesthetic expression using sculptured torn papers three-dimensionally, where they used paint two- dimensionally. This “Impressionist Sculptured Paper” is what he considers his signature style. Its focus is to capture emotion, life, and expression over realism using torn, raw pieces arranged into the likeness of the subject yet always revealing the character and nature of the papers from which the subjects are created. Ray’s artwork speaks to his viewers’ hearts. Nature is his favourite subject matter. His artworks are prized by collectors and art lovers worldwide. It has led to prestigious corporate commissions from Macquarie Bank, Amcor, Australian Government, Spicers Australia/KPP Japan, and a commemorative Dick Johnson portrait for Ford Motor Company, to mention a few. Works hang in private and corporate collections in London, Munich, Manhattan, Tokyo, New Zealand and throughout Australia. In a career spanning over 32 years since innovating his technique, awards now exceed thirty five and include two gold from New York, and a coveted Gold Medal for Creativity in France, 2018. Ray is also Australian Ambassador for Mondial Art Academia of France. RECENT EXHIBITION HISTORY Solo: 2019 | Christie Spaces, | A Nature Collection | Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2019 | The National Trust Victoria, Rippon Lea Estate | Paper Landscapes | Elsternwick, Victoria, Australia 2019 | Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Cranbourne Gallery | Paper Landscapes | Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia Combined: 2022 | Fisher’s Ghost Art Award 2022 | Campbelltown | NSW, Australia 2022 | Goldfields Arts Centre Kalgoorlie | City of Kalgoorlie Boulder Art Prize 2022 Open Theme | WA | Australia 2022 | Woollam Art on Show Awards 2022 | Mackay | QLD |Australia 2022 | Lethbridge Gallery | Finalist 20000 Australia’s Biggest Small Scale Art Prize | QLD |Australia 2022 | ART FLUENT, Boston, MA online exhibit “WITHIN” and Director’s Choice Prize 2022 | The Holy Art Gallery, London, International online group exhibit 2022 | Rennies at Acheron Gallery | Nature works | Acheron, Victoria, Australia 2022 | Talent Prize Award | Art Show International Gallery | Portrait of Sven Libaek | “Portrait” | LA, California 2022 | “Honoring the Earth Day 2022” |Red Sands Garden | International online group exhibition | Diversia | Exhibizone, Canada 2022 | ” EXTINCTION: Save the Planet 2022″| Call for Change | online exhibition | Gallerium Art Prize 2022 | Las Laguna Art Gallery | Light and Shade Online Exhibition | Free standing abstract | California | USA 2022 | Online Artist Space Gallery | Nature Works | USA 2020 | The Convent Gallery | Recent Works Collection | Daylesford, Victoria, Australia 2019 | Carrousel du Louvre / Mona Youssef Gallery Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada| Australian & French Jazz Musician Portraits | Paris, France 2018 | Mornington Peninsula Regional Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia | National Works on Paper 2017 | The Hatch Contemporary Art Space, Victoria, Australia | Works on Paper OTHER Masterclass for Professional Artists | Ministry of Culture and Communications & Ministry of Higher Education Québec | Maison des Metier d’Art, Québec | Sep 2019 Artist in residence | Umbrella Contemporary Art Studio, Townsville Queensland Australia | May 2017 Owner | Ray Besserdin Paper Sculpture Artist Gallery | Black Rock, Victoria | Nov 2016 – Oct 2018 REPRESENTED BY Saatchi Art | Santa Monica, CA, USA https://www.saatchiart.com/raybesserdin Dwyer Fine Art | Jon Dwyer | South Yarra, VIC, Australia Paks Gallery | K. Heinz Playner | Schloss Hubertendorf 32, Vienna, Austria SculptSite USA https://sculptsite.com/sculptor/Ray-Besserdin/1?m=495 France Artistique Association ( Mondial Art Academia) France https://mondialartacademia.com/user/raybess/ EDUCATION La Trobe University | Biological Sciences Degree | 1982 MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS IAPMA ( International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists ) Düren, Germany France Artistique Association (Mondial Art Academia), France Victorian Artists Society (VAS), Melbourne, Australia ArtConnect Professional, Berlin, Germany AWARDS 2022 | Finalist | Fisher’s Ghost Art Award 2022 | NSW, Australia 2022 | Finalist | 20000 Australia’s Biggest Small Scale Art Prize | Secure Handshake | Lethbridge Gallery | Queensland, Australia 2022 | Director’s Choice Prize |Endeavour’s Hands | “Within” | Art Fluent, Boston, MA and group online exhibit 2022 | Award of Excellence | Circle Foundation | Online Competition Artist of the Month (May) France 2022 | Bronze | Tranquility | Artist Invitational Competition | Camelback Gallery | USA 2022 | Merit Award | To Seaside | Yellow – Art online exhibition | Art Room Gallery | USA 2022 | Merit Award | Birds of a Feather #2 | Yellow – Art online exhibition | Art Room Gallery | USA 2022 | Honorable Mention | “Portrait” | Art Room Gallery | USA 2022 | Honourable Mention | Cicada Life Cycle | Animals Show | Grey Cube Gallery | USA 2022 | Honourable Mention | Birds of a Feather 2 | Animals Show | Grey Cube Gallery | USA 2021 | Bronze Medal for Sculpture | Rapturous Ascent | Professional Artists Awards Mondial Art Academia | FRANCE 2021 | Merit Award | To Seaside | Botanicals Exhibition | Grey Cube Gallery |USA 2021 | Merit Award | Portrait of Anne Ducros – Jazz Singer | Faces Exhibition | Grey Cube Gallery | USA 2021 | Merit Award | Portrait of Sven Libaek – Distinguished Composer | Faces Exhibition Grey Cube Gallery | USA 2021 | Merit Award | Flowing Synthesis | Patterns Exhibition | Grey Cube Gallery | USA 2020 | Mention Honorifique | International Artists Professional Awards | Mondial Art Acadamie | FRANCE 2020 | Double Finalist | Stanthorpe Art Prize 2020 | Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery | Stanthorpe | QLD | AUSTRALIA 2019 | Gold Medal for Creativity | Mondial Art Acadamie | FRANCE 2018 | People’s Choice Award | National Works on Paper | Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery | VIC | AUSTRALIA 2018 | First Prize, “Nature” Exhibition, 3D Category | LightSpaceTime Gallery | Florida | USA 2018 | Second Prize, “Botanicals” Exhibition, 3D Category | LightSpaceTime Gallery | Florida | USA 2018 | Honourable Mentions x 2, “Nature” Exhibition, 3D Category | LightSpaceTime Gallery | Florida | USA 2018 | Special Recognition, “Botanicals” Exhibition, 3D Category | LightSpaceTime Gallery | Florida | USA 2017 | Bronze Bell Award, Institute for Creative Advertising & Design, Dublin | IRELAND 2000 | Silver Award | Dimensional Awards Show | NEW YORK | USA 1998 | Gold Award | Dimensional Awards Show | NEW YORK | USA 1997 | Silver Award | Dimensional Awards Show | NEW YORK | USA 1996 | Gold Medal | International Print Advertising World Medal Awards | NEW YORK | USA 1992 – 1999 | Bronze Awards x 12 | Dimensional Awards Show | NEW YORK | USA