Artist Franck Bouroullec knows much about the pressures and expectations aspiring artists have when entering a world-renowned art college programme.
As a young artist in his native France, Frank entered the l’ESAG (Higher School of Graphic Arts) in Paris. Two years later he successfully passed the highly competitive entrance examination of the prestigious Ecole des Gobelins (School of Visual Arts and Communication) also in Paris, from which he graduated with a diploma in the Animated Films section.
Franck’s fame and influence, has most recently developed as a portrait painter and muralist. His largest challenge ever, in terms of dimensions, was finished in 2011 when he created the model for a tribute to Charlie Chaplin and, with the support of two helpers, painted the mural on a total surface of 1600m2 shared between two 43-meter towers in Vevey, Switzerland.
However, through all his fame and success, Franck still vividly remembers the atmosphere in his studio class years ago; the intensity, the focus, and the pressure, all under the watchful and critical eye of his professors who peered over the shoulders of the eager but nervous young artists. He is now sharing these experiences first hand with students at Oxford International College Switzerland.
“With significant class, studio and production time with Franck, students receive guidance to prepare a strong portfolio and assistance with school applications. And the hands-on opportunities to travel, connect, and build a network inside the professional art world, simply does not exist at any other European international school,” commented Barbara Lorenzetti, Oxford International College Switzerland founder.
“This direct mentorship with an accomplished artist, one with grand social experience like his Chaplin project, or unique and personal individual commissions like his vast catalogue of speed paintings of the influential and famous, is not typically accessible until after a student begins post-secondary studies,” she continued.
“To make it available to high school age students, during 6th form, and at the time in life when a young artist is not only mastering technique but is forming confidence and character, is truly special and personal. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to provide such an exceptional programme.”
The MASTER ART PROGRAMME and the SUMMER SESSIONS at this unique and innovative Swiss boarding school are currently enrolling qualified art students, ages 15 to 19. The programme has a rolling admissions policy and allows students to begin at any time during the year.
Current students aspire to enter top art institutions such as the Art and Design Programmes at Oxford or Kingston Universities, ENSCI – Les Ateliers in France, or the Art Center College of Design in California, USA.
Oxford International College (OIC), Oxford, United Kingdom was founded in 2003 and recently expanded to Switzerland. The school’s mission is to bring together the highly effective academic tutorial system, a mentorship between professor and student found at Oxford and Cambridge universities, with an intensive British A-levels college programme set in a premium location – an exclusive Swiss boarding school.
The Art Programme gives students direct access to Franck’s long history in the art world. First as a storyboard and animation artist, Franck worked on well-known projects such as Astérix & Obélix and later as a stage decorator including an extensive project in 2003 as the stage artist and designer for the 450 productions and 1 million DVDs of Jamel Debbouze’s 100% Debbouze. Furthermore, he has completed countless live portraits in his unique speed-painting style, commissions from Beyoncé to Luciano Pavarotti to members of Royal families throughout Europe and the Middle East and his talent is coveted by world-renowned companies such as Armani, Ferrari, BMW, and Cartier.
The OIC Switzerland campus in Chateau d’Oex is in a safe and secure village (left) with a friendly local population and family atmosphere on the famous Golden Pass railway line just 15 minutes from Gstaad and 90 minutes from Geneva.
The OIC Switzerland experience includes a boutique chalet residence with shared and individual rooms, pastoral care from full-time house parents, healthy and high-quality food service, and tailored learning spaces. The extra-curricular programmes enrich and balance the experience with access to the recreational sports centres, pistes and trails that make the Gstaad region a world-class alpine resort. Off-campus excursions to art destinations like Paris, Berlin, Florence, Barcelona, or Amsterdam take advantage of Switzerland’s position in the heart of Europe.
Oxford International College Switzerland, Case Postale 75, CH-1660 Chateau d’Oex, Switzerland
Tel: +41 26 924 69 18 | Email: arts@oicswitzerland.com | Web: www.oicswitzerland.com/arts
