GILLES CHAREST 1947-2025
May 28, 2025 on News by steve
It is with deep sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Gilles Charest, distinguished painter, sculptor, and businessman, on May 19, 2025, in Boucherville, at the age of 77, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Born in Montreal in 1947, Gilles Charest initially pursued varied career paths, studying education, literature, and administration at the Université de Montréal. In 1975, he co-founded an advertising agency where his creative spirit distinguished itself as a creative director. However, it was his all-consuming passion for art that truly defined him. A seasoned collector, Gilles Charest devoted himself assiduously to painting since 1990, making this art his full-time lifestyle since 1999. Known for his personal and luminous vision of still lifes, he brilliantly mastered color and light, creating inherently sensual works where harmony is transcendent. His search for unique textures, his elongated lines, and the use of unusual formats made his subjects “more alive than life,” imbued with a profound sensuality and constant exploration. Gilles was also a talented sculptor.
His works have been exhibited in galleries since 1999 and can be found in numerous private and public collections in Canada, the United States, and Europe, testifying to his international influence.
Gilles Charest was a man who elegantly combined the rigor of a businessman with the sensitivity of an artist. He leaves behind a luminous imprint on the hearts of all those he met.
