Jean-Pierre Frey: an artistic journey in Bora Bora |

If you come to Bora Bora, don’t miss a visit to the Bora Bora Artist Studio gallery. Jean-Pierre Frey’s unique and inspiring pieces of artworks are the result of a lifetime of creation and inspiration. Recently the artist, accomplished and fulfilled in his art, initiated and completed a beautiful project that united thirty children from a class of Bora Bora. Love Bora Bora met him and tells you more about this painter who fell under the spell of Bora Bora…

An artist from his earliest childhood

Jean-Pierre Frey began his career as an artist by following his father’s footsteps, a painter in Montmartre, Paris district. Gifted in drawing, he started at a very young age as a portraitist at Place du Tertre, in Montmartre. He attended an Artschool “École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts” where he acquired a solid and a classical knowledge. Then, his talent led him to exhibit at the great International Art Fair in Switzerland. He became one of top five best-selling painters in France. His works then crossed the Atlantic and were exhibited at Artexpo in New York. The Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art in Florida acquired one of them.

He met Caroline in 1997. Passionate about sailing, which he practiced whenever he had the opportunity, Jean-Pierre Frey and his family embarked on a round-the-world sailing trip. They crossed the Atlantic Ocean and went to the Bahamas.

The Caribbean and Art Furniture design

Jean-Pierre Frey and his family arrived in Florida in 2003 where he graduated from a Decorative Arts school. During a stopover in the Dominican Republic, Jean-Pierre learned carpentry, cabinet making and marquetry. Inspired, he created a line of furniture that he designed and manufactured himself and opened his Art Gallery which became a small factory with 11 employees. He had great success with several galleries, one of which is in St Barth. His furniture can still be seen on his blog. This period lasted 7 years. The last pieces of furniture that were for sale now decorate Jean-Pierre Frey’s Bora Bora Artist Studio gallery.

The Travel Book: a new turn

From 2012 to 2014, Jean-Pierre and his family sailed in the Caribbean. During their trip between Florida and the Panama Canal, Jean-Pierre started a travel book to help his son with his Art project for his A.level. Together, they went out every morning to take pictures and making sketches. Every day, Jean Pierre gave his son a painting or drawing lesson to complete their respective notebooks in integrating scenes from the day to day life, perspectives, volumes, felt-tip pens, ink, or collages.

Little by little his style took shape between collages, calligraphy, painting, ink, feathers, … He also integrated nautical charts that he collected from his numerous sailings.

He will never leave this style. He will discover in this notebook an inspiring source for his imagination and his love for drawing. He will find his accomplishment there. A new page in his life as an artist has just opened…

Bora Bora: the blooming

In 2014, Jean-Pierre Frey and his wife headed to Polynesia with the aim of continuing their journey in discovering the Pacific until they found its Pearl : Bora Bora.

He carried on transcribing his inspiration in his travel book. Little by little, he let himself be impregnated by the soul of Bora Bora and especially the Polynesians’ kindness.

The travel book, Jean-Pierre Frey’s source of inspiration, perfected his style. The compositions will then be done directly on canvas.

Indeed, having found a new direction to his art, Jean-Pierre started again to paint professionally and created his gallery: Bora Bora Artist Studio.

Being no longer limited to a single subject in the Art Market, ideas accumulate and add up on a single painting. And the result is worth it. Someone who contemplates each painting will feel the impressions of travel and freedom from all the elements. What Jean-Pierre Frey wishes to transcribe in his works is “all that we can see without seeing it”.

A project of hope

Always inspired, Jean-Pierre Frey started a project for children in SEGPA classes in October 2020. The SEGPA class teaches to children having learning difficulties.

The project was born from a simple idea. Jean-Pierre selected one of his painting: the island of Bora Bora. He enlarged it and cut it into 78 A4 pages. Each child received a color copy of 2 or 3 pages. The aim was for each child to reproduce what they received on a A4 canvas without having seen the initial painting.

During several months, they met on Monday and Friday mornings to create this painting. All the children were interested and remained assiduous in the project, working together in a good mood. The painting was then hung in the Junior High School of Bora Bora and unveiled to the public in the presence of parents, teachers and the Mayor. Children were proud and touched by the result. These magical moments shared with Jean-Pierre Frey will remain engraved in their memory.

The gallery

If you wish to visit the gallery, do not hesitate to meet Jean-Pierre Frey and his wife Caroline there, every day from 9am to 5:30pm (closed on Sundays). You can contact them if you need, they will enjoy showing you the gallery.