Gallery Rouge have championed the works of Kal Gajoum since our inception fifteen years ago. It has come as no surprise to us that Gajoum has been a firm favourite with art lovers and collectors alike, garnering an impressive international following. As the artist of the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Gajoum’s reputation was cemented as a renowned and respected artist, with his profile growing stronger ever since.

Kal Gajoum was born in Tripoli, Libya in 1968. The journey from Europe to Canada has seen Gajoum embrace the learnings from many countries. His earliest encounter with art was as an art conservator and restorer for MUZA (National Museum of Fine Arts, Malta). His interest in art was truly ignited though when he was introduced to oil painting techniques by friends of the family who were artists in attendance at the Leonardo D’Vinci school of art in Rome. Gajoum’s most formative training took place in Paris under the stewardship of Professors from Ecoles des Beux-Arts, leading to his adoption of palette knifes in the creation of his now highly distinctive style of French Impressionism.

Carlisle is a special place for Gajoum. It was here that he spent almost two years prior to his migration to Canada in 2004, and where one of his works is still visible today, installed for all to see in The Lanes. Many of his works from the period embodied the Lake Districts and sailing vistas.

Gajoum employs a palette knife with the elegance and poise in much the same way a fencer yields an epee. smooth and graceful strokes are interspersed with precision wrist flicks. Over the years Gajoum has captured the essence of events (explosive downhill skiers) as well as objects (exquisite still lifes). It is his mesmerizing cityscape works though for which he is most associated and recognised, depicting landmarks encountered on his journey across Europe and North America.

A larger-than-life character in stature belies a humble and approachable man. Due to his practice of only painting works as part of a collection for an exhibition (of which he will typically only hold two a year), coupled with exclusive gallery representation (his works are held in only three galleries globally) ensures that all works are quickly acquired. Gallery Rouge are proud to have held three sellout events with Kal Gajoum in 2010 (during his tenure for the Winter Olympics), 2012 (at the 5* Mont Calm hotel in London, coinciding with the London Summer Olympics) and 2016.