Statement
My paintings depict strong images, often linked to environmental themes, and characterised by their intricate
level of detail. In the past four decades I have gained international recognition. I have held exhibitions in Europe, the Middle
East and the United States of America.
I was born in the Channel Islands in 1938 with my parents I left as refugees, travelling to England, prior to the
occupation of all the Channel Islands by the Nazis. In 1951, aged thirteen, I won a scholarship to Harrow Art College. In
1963, my first exhibition, at the Portal Gallery in Mayfair, London, was a sell out. This first show led to a further five one-man
shows at this gallery over the next ten years.
During the sixties, I sold paintings to the Beatles, film stars Rod Steiger and Jerry Lewis, and many other well
known people, including the Duke of Bedford and Lord Porchester. Le Vasseur had a painting in the book "The Beatles
Illustrated Lyrics", which sold three and a half million copies. Fellow contributors to the book were David Hockney, Allen
Jones, Erté, David Bailey, and Sir Eduardo Paolozzi. Other clients include Oliver Reed, Derek Nimmo, Michael Portillo, Ava
Gardner, Clare Bloom HRH Princess Anne, HH Prince Sudruddin Aga Khan and Lord Beaumont of Whitby.
In 1969 David Puttnam (now Lord Puttnam) acquired a commission for me to produce a series of paintings for The
Sunday Times and the National Film Archive, entitled "The History of Cinema". In 1971 this won an award for the Sunday
Times. In 1975 I decided to return to live in the Channel Islands with my wife Linda, where I work in a cottage tucked
away in the lanes of St. Pierre du Bois in Guernsey.
In 1993 I was the first artist to win an Earthwatch Scientific Foundation Fellowship, which enabled me to document the flora
and fauna of the fast disappearing rain forests of South America. I also have travelled widely in the Middle East, the United
Arab Emirates, and Oman. In Africa, during the last ten years, Le Vasseur has visited Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt,Tanzania,
Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa, collecting material for hmypaintings. I also have visited Sri Lanka and
the rain forest of St Lucia to research paintings.
In 2023 the definitive book about my life and work, A Brush with Life, was published, printed by The Lutterworth
Press and written by Jason Monaghan. I continues to produce strong images that portray hmyclear appreciation of
the natural world and warning us of the consequences if humankind continues to exploit its resources.
StateCountryGuernsey
