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 to his Turbulents, and at the same time, collecting "hors-les-normes" art works.
In 1973, the critic André Laude commented on the polyactivity of Alain Bourbonnais as follows: ”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, reigns a sparkling bric-a-brac."
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. Gradually his activity as a collector will take precedence over his profession as an architect.
Chronology
1925 Born in Ainay-le-Château (Allier) on 22 th June
1954 Graduated in architecture from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris
1955 Marriage with Caroline. Birth of their daughter Sophie, on 6 th April, Alain Bourbonnais creates theater sets until 1965
1957 Birth of their second daughter Agnès, on 5 th September
1963 Creates the theaters of Caen and Luxembourg
1965 Creates the church Stella Matutina in Saint-Cloud.
1968 Appointed chief architect of civil buildings and national palaces
1969 Inauguration of the first RER station: Nation
1970 Begins the creation of his Turbulents
1971 Meeting with Jean Dubuffet
1972 Opening of the Atelier Jacob, an "art hors-les-normes" gallery in Paris
1974 Exhibition of his Turbulents at the Palais Saint-Pierre, Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon
1975 Reconstruction of the district of Ilot du Pont and the Library in Auxerre
1976 Creates the park of Tremblay in Champigny-sur-Marnee
1980 Creates his Briculages
1982 Closing of the Atelier Jacob
1983 Opening to the public of the museum of La Fabuloserie in Dicy (Yonne)
1988 Death in Sens (Yonne) on 21 th June, his wife Caroline Bourbonnais takes over the management of La Fabuloserie
2014 Death of Caroline Bourbonnais. Sophie and Agnès continue the adventure of the family museum.