Mathieu Clément

Protest art — paintings and drawings of demonstrations

Mathieu Clément is a French contemporary artist based in the Paris region. This body of work depicts street demonstrations, collective gatherings, protesters and police through oil paintings, charcoal drawings and mixed-media works. It offers artistic images of social movements rather than news photographs.

Created primarily around 2021, the works explore crowds, individual figures, urban space, smoke, light, confrontation and the changing atmosphere of a protest. They include representations of Paris demonstrations, the Yellow Vests movement and figures involved in public mobilisation.

Paintings of protests and social movements

Oil painting of protesters silhouetted against a red and purple sky at Place de la Bastille in Paris.
Bastille Square protest — Oil on canvas, 20F, 2021

Some paintings focus on dense crowds and the light of flares; others bring forward a solitary figure, the police, the press or the streets of Paris. These are original artworks by Mathieu Clément.

Oil painting of a Paris protest crowd surrounding a blank advertising display, with smoke and illuminated buildings.
Foule à Paris (Crowd in Paris) — Oil on canvas, 20F, 2021. Reproduced in Le Monde diplomatique, May 2023
Protest painting by Mathieu Clément showing riot police and bright fireworks in a night-time Paris demonstration.
Protesters, Place de la Concorde — Oil on canvas, 20F, 2021
Painting of demonstrators around an orange fire at Place de la Concorde during a French protest.
Place de la Concorde protest — Oil on canvas, 8F, 2021
Painting of crowds at a protest, with red smoke and bright flares illuminating figures.
Gathering — Oil on canvas, 40F, 2021
A lone protester silhouetted high above a Paris street, with architectural forms and violet smoke.
Protester near the Grand Palais — Oil on canvas, 40F, 2021
French protest painting centred on the monument at Place de la République in Paris.
Gathering at Place de la République — Oil on canvas, 20F, 2021
Painting of yellow vest protesters in a Paris street, with pink, yellow and violet tones.
Yellow vest demonstrators — Oil on canvas, 6F, 2021
Grey atmospheric oil painting of a figure in a smoke-filled Paris street during a protest.
Police during a demonstration — Oil on canvas, 6F, 2021
Portrait painting of two masked police officers in blue, part of Mathieu Clément’s social movements series.
Dure journée (A Long Day) — Oil on canvas, 8F
Painting of helmeted press photographers documenting a protest.
The press at a demonstration — Oil on canvas, 10F
Portrait painted by Mathieu Clément wearing a white face mask, in dark blue and teal tones.
Self-portrait — Oil on canvas, 6F
Painting of a French demonstration showing dark crowds, several flags and a protester in a yellow vest.
Yellow vests and flags — Painting; medium and dimensions to be confirmed
Painting of a crowd and smoke in a Paris street, with grey-blue buildings and a line of protesters.
Crowd in a Paris street — Oil on canvas, 8F; year to be confirmed

Two works from this series, Foule à Paris and CRS, were reproduced and credited in the May 2023 issue of Le Monde diplomatique, in the article “Brutalisation de l’ordre manifestant”.

Charcoal drawings of demonstrations

Large charcoal drawing by Mathieu Clément depicting tightly grouped protesters and expressive figures.
Demonstrations — large charcoal drawing — Charcoal on paper, 200 × 150 cm

Drawing is a major part of this series. Charcoal, white chalk, black paper and acrylic allow the artist to shift between documentary observation and a more expressive portrayal of movement, tension and public space.

Expressive charcoal and white chalk drawing of French riot police officers during a protest.
CRS (riot police) — Charcoal and white chalk on paper, 2021
Charcoal drawing of demonstrators at a feminist protest by Mathieu Clément.
Feminist demonstration — Charcoal on paper, 140 × 80 cm, 2021
Charcoal drawing by Mathieu Clément portraying children after a demonstration.
After the demonstration — Charcoal on white paper, 95 × 95 cm
White chalk drawing of police during a demonstration on a dark background.
Police — drawing on black paper — White chalk on black paper, 120 × 80 cm, 2021
Charcoal drawing of a firefighter at Place de la Nation, Paris, during a social movement.
Firefighter, Place de la Nation — Charcoal on paper, 100 × 70 cm, 2021
Drawing of protesters surrounded by smoke, worked in charcoal and white chalk.
Demonstrators in smoke — White chalk and charcoal on black paper, 70 × 50 cm, 2021
High-contrast drawing of a demonstration in smoke, executed in white chalk on black paper.
Demonstration and tear gas — White chalk on black paper, 85 × 65 cm
Charcoal drawing of a masked protester crouching beside a wall and drawing on its surface.
A protester drawing — Charcoal, white chalk and marker on paper, 2021

Place de la République — drawing and close-ups

Mixed-media drawing by Mathieu Clément of the female allegorical figure of the Republic on a magenta background.
The Republic monument, Paris — Charcoal and acrylic on paper, 150 × 130 cm, 2021
Close-up of the face of a sculpted allegorical figure in a drawing of the Republic monument in Paris.
Detail — Republic monument — Detail from the charcoal and acrylic drawing
Close-up of the statue of the Republic in Mathieu Clément’s mixed-media drawing, with floral motifs.
Detail — Republic monument — Detail from the charcoal and acrylic drawing

Mathieu Clément — in the studio

French artist Mathieu Clément in his studio with paintings and charcoal drawings of protests behind him.
In the studio — Studio photograph, 2021

Protest illustrations for editors and the press

Editors, journalists, publishers and exhibition organisers looking for illustrations of protests, demonstrations or social movements can enquire about using reproductions of these works. High-resolution files, image credits and permissions can be discussed directly with the artist. Reproduction or redistribution is subject to prior authorisation.

These images document artworks and should not be presented as photographs of contemporary events or as depictions of protests taking place today.

For editorial enquiries, contact Mathieu Clément.

Explore the French-language gallery of paintings and drawings of demonstrations and the rest of the artist’s work.