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. During all those years, he continued to paint and engrave, he started in 1970 devoting himself to Turbulents, and , 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 the large rooms of his architect agency in rue Bonaparte in Paris. As solemn as a judge, he draws up plans, uses damned technical words, and listens to the songs of bulldozers. But every week-end, a few kilometers away, he gets back to his realm. 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 was essential, though. As a counterpoint to his hectic life as an architect, creating led him to collect the works of hors-les-normes artists. Progressively, collecting prevailed for him over being an architect.