Chief architect for civic buildings and national palaces, Alain Bourbonnais (1925 – 1988) won several public competitions between the end of the fifties and the beginning of the 1980. For years, he practiced painting and engraving, and from 1970 devoting himself to Turbulents, and at the same time, collecting "hors-les-normes" art works.
In 1973, André Laude, the critic, commented upon Alain Bourbonnais’s poly-activity : ”For a long time now, Bourbonnais has been pretending, for a few hours a week , to be there, in his large architect's offices on rue Bonaparte in Paris. As serious as a judge, he draws up plans, uses highly technical words, and listens to the songs of of the shovels and bulldozers. But every week-end, a few miles away, he gets back to his kingdom. There, in this Capernaum, this caravanserai, a glittering bric-a-brac reigns supreme. "
Among the many facets of Alain Bourbonnais, the fuzziest one was that of the creator. It is however essential. As a counterpoint to his hectic life as an architect, creating led him to collect the works of other "hors-les-normes" artists. Progressively, collecting prevailed for him over being an architect.