Who is Guillaume Dillee?
An incurable optimist.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
I’d like to be able to see the world in a more detached way.
Who inspires you and why?
Diderot 1713-1784 (creator of the general encyclopaedia). His starting point was an assumption that, in his view, explained everything. “Everything is in nature, there is only one substance in the universe, in man and in the animals. The key point is that each element of matter, atom or molecule, is endowed with feeling. Matter thinks.”
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I would reconcile religions.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Hiking to explore environments inaccessible by other means. To reconnect with man’s wild instinct, be in total harmony with nature. My art definitely turns on human impact and place in a natural environment where nothing is ever under control.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them and why?
I’d take my friends to a local market, a place which speaks volumes about a country, a city and its people.
What are you currently reading?
I keep re-reading Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind.
What are you currently listening to?
When I paint, I listen to audiobooks.
Happiness is?
Being surrounded by those you love.
What does the future hold for you?
The future is feeding my hope.
Born in Paris in 1966, Guillaume Dillée followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps to become a renowned art advisor to a range of world-famous museums, art galleries and private collectors. After almost four decades immersed at the top of the art world in Europe and beyond, Dillée migrated to Australia with his wife Sylvie and five young sons.
Influenced by 17th-Century Flemmish painters’ perspectives, Chinese and Japanese artists and impressionist colours, Dillée’s work incorporates his unique perspective including multiple planes and delicate brushwork. Dillée’s pieces exhibit a unique artistic talent and combine imagined, iconic and real landscapes of bold pigments, materiality and textures.
Guillaume presents his inaugural Australian exhibition, Paris-Melbourne, at the Merricks House Art Gallery – currently on display until 6 March 2022. For more information, visit: www.mgwinestore.com.au for details.
Image: Guillaume Dillee (supplied)