Become the Muse for a Night

A conversation with Vincent Cordo, the painter of bold femininity

By Vincent Beauchamp, Owner, Beauchamp Art Galleries
Published on March 19th | Event: April 10, 2026 — Beauchamp Gallery Montreal, 62 St-Paul Street West 

Some artists you admire from a distance. Others you get to watch up close, year after year, until you realize that “talent” doesn’t quite cover what they do. Vincent Cordo is one of those. A painter of elegant, uncompromising femininity, he has been showing at Beauchamp Art Galleries for many years now, and his canvases sell almost as fast as they arrive. On April 10, we welcome him to our gallery at 62 St-Paul Street West for a rare event: “Become the Muse for a Night.” I had the chance to sit down with him and ask the questions our collectors have been sending me for weeks. 

1. THE ARTIST AND THE CONCEPT 

Vincent Beauchamp: Vincent, the title of this event is bold. What is a muse to you, in 2026? 

Vincent Cordo: A woman who is confident and unapologetically herself, carrying all the elegance that belongs to her. Not an unreachable ideal. A presence. 

“ A muse is a woman who is confident and unapologetically herself, with all the elegance that belongs to her. ” 

2. THE ARTIST'S EYE 

Vincent Beauchamp: Is there a specific moment when you sense that someone is becoming a source of inspiration for you? 

Vincent Cordo: Yes, and it often happens while traveling. My partner and I love watching women in restaurants or cafés — how they settle into their chair, how they hold a glass of wine or a coffee cup, how they let femininity express itself naturally. It’s in those unscripted little moments that everything happens. 

Vincent Beauchamp: Can a working session with a muse take you somewhere unexpected? 

Vincent Cordo: Absolutely. A shoot lasts four hours, produces over 400 photos, and we keep maybe five. But at the very end, I always say the same thing: “OK, free style — have fun.” And that’s often when the most beautiful gifts arrive: spontaneity, confident femininity, the real moment. 

3. THE CREATIVE PROCESS 

Vincent Beauchamp: Do you start with a quick sketch or with an emotion? 

Vincent Cordo: I started by making reproductions of the great masters: Modigliani, Lautrec, Cézanne, Manet. That training gave me the “fused squares” technique, which I still use to build the initial sketch. Then I let the subject’s face dictate the rest — the colours, the lettering, the atmosphere. It’s a dialogue between discipline and instinct. 

Vincent Beauchamp: What does a typical day look like for you? 

Vincent Cordo: I’m also a mathematics teacher with a master’s in administration. I embraced the life of a painter in 2008, but I still teach young people with challenging, atypical paths. I have 15-year-old students in Grade 7 instead of Grade 10. We do our best to guide them toward graduation. 

For over seven years, I taught full time during the day and got up at three in the morning to paint. I wanted to supply the galleries without taking anything away from quality time with my children — our evenings, building snow forts, bedtime stories, goodnight kisses. It was fundamental to me that they not pay the price of my success. That is probably my greatest pride. My father was an important man, and we didn’t see him much… I get a little emotional talking about it. 

Today, two years from retirement in teaching, I leave for the gym around seven. Shower at eight, then school. I pick up my oldest at 3:45, thirty minutes for dinner and family catch-up, then the studio until nine at night. And we start again. There’s a real pleasure in being back in the studio late, watching the neighbourhood lights come on softly from five-thirty onward, the sun rising quietly. 

“ For seven years, I got up at three in the morning to paint. My children were not going to pay the price of my success. ” 

Vincent Beauchamp: Do you paint while listening to music? 

Vincent Cordo: Always. In the studio I’m tuned to ICI Musique 100.7, and I love discovering and rediscovering artists to build my weekend and summer playlists. It goes from Pet Shop Boys to Tears for Fears, Kali Uchis, Astrud Gilberto… 

Vincent Beauchamp: What role does fashion play in the personality of your subjects? 

Vincent Cordo: Fashion in my works has to be timeless. That’s how they will age well. 

Vincent Beauchamp: How would you describe the evolution of your work since your early days with Beauchamp Galleries? 

Vincent Cordo: Wow. In my technique, first of all. But above all in the confidence to be myself. When a painting doesn’t meet my standards, I destroy it — for real. My neighbours know who I am. 

Vincent Beauchamp: We often find symbols of celebration in your work. Why? Is art the ultimate celebration for you? 

Vincent Cordo: My whole approach comes down to one sentence: life is now. Not tomorrow. That’s what my canvases say. 

4. THE ARTIST AND HIS AUDIENCE 

Vincent Beauchamp: Does having people around you change what you put on the canvas? 

Vincent Cordo: No. Never. 

Vincent Beauchamp: What reaction do you hope to spark in a collector who discovers one of your works for the first time? 

Vincent Cordo: An ultimate emotion. Like a beautiful Phil Collins song — unpretentious, but it goes straight to your heart. 

“ I want an ultimate emotion. Like a beautiful Phil Collins song — unpretentious, but it goes straight to your heart. ” 

5. THE APRIL 10 EVENT 

Vincent Beauchamp: Why did you choose our gallery at 62 St-Paul Street West in Montreal for this event? 

Vincent Cordo: The cosmopolitan energy of downtown, of course. But above all, the 62 is incredibly warm. Last time, the gallery sold more than twelve paintings in under ninety minutes. Even in Miami with 150 guests, I couldn’t beat that record. 

Vincent Beauchamp: What makes this event different from a traditional vernissage? 

Vincent Cordo: The collector’s enjoyment, first and foremost. The quantity and variety of works on offer, the fact that the artist is there in person to explain his approach, sign the canvases, and meet people. This isn’t an exhibition — it’s an encounter. 

Vincent Beauchamp: Will visitors be able to see you at work or connect with you directly? 

Vincent Cordo: Yes. And maybe even become my muse for the night and have the pleasure of contributing to one of my canvases. 

Vincent Beauchamp: What do you want guests to experience beyond a simple meeting? 

Vincent Cordo: An artistic journey — authentic, surprising, joyful. Last time, despite roadwork and rain, the evening was a success. People had even flown in to be there. You don’t forget that. We give our very best to make them happy. 

Vincent Beauchamp: In one word — or close to it — the atmosphere of that evening? 

Vincent Cordo: Glamorous, laid-back, real, and one-of-a-kind. Fifteen hundred square feet of good energy. 

6. THE FINAL INVITATION 

Vincent Beauchamp: If someone is hesitating to come on April 10 out of shyness or doubt, what do you tell them? 

Vincent Cordo: Life is now. Come. Last time, despite the construction and the rain, more than seventy-five people signed up for a ninety-minute moment. That doesn’t lie. 

Vincent Beauchamp: And ultimately — what does it take to become, perhaps, Vincent Cordo’s next muse? 

Vincent Cordo: Be confident. Be authentic. That’s all it takes. 

“ Be confident. Be authentic. That’s all it takes. ” 

Reserve Your Spot 

Friday, April 10, 2026 | 6:00 PM — 8:00 PM Beauchamp Gallery Montreal | 62 St-Paul Street West Registration required. Limited spots. 

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