Bouraine was partly a self-taught man, partly he received his education at Alexandre Falguière.
In the first world war was held as a prisoner of war in Switzerland. In Genève he studied at the École Des Beaux Arts with Max le Verrier and Pierre Le Faguays, with whom he became friends for life and often worked together.
Back in Paris he exposed at the Salon des Tuileries (1922), Salon d'Automne, Salon des Indépendants, and Salon des Artistes Français.
He became one of the most representative Art Deco artists.
In 1928 he made for the sculptor and glass artist Gabriel Argy Rousseau a couple of nudes and other figures , amongst them a fountain of translucent pâte de verre glass.
For the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937 he made an enormous sculpture for the Sevres pavilion.
His work was inspired by realism and Art Deco. He worked with bronze and Ivory and apart from classical and mytholgical themes he also made animals as tigers and marabus.
For his metal productions he used the artist name Derenne or Briand.
