Jean-Michel Othoniel
Encyclopedia
Jean-Michel Othoniel is a contemporary artist born in 1964 in Saint-Etienne
(France). He lives and works in Paris.
in 1992
.
In 1993
, Jean-Michel Othoniel introduced glass into his work and began to explore its properties. Transformations, mutations of materials, and rites of passage
from one state to another echo an essential rite in the artist’s work: that of journeys and memory.
In 1994
, he participated in the exhibition Féminin/Masculin at the Pompidou Center
in Paris, with an installation entitled My Beautiful Closet, a mise-en-scène of dancers filmed in the darkness of a closet.
In 1996
, Othoniel hung gigantic necklaces in the bamboo gardens of the Villa Medici
in Rome, and later in the trees of the Venetian garden of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection
(1997), and at the Alhambra
and Generalife
, in Granada
(1999
). Similar to a forbidden fruit
, the necklace has a life in and of itself: it merges into the landscape and the leaves, like organic outgrowths absorbing shadows and diffracting light. The notion of wound or injury is at the heart of his work. In 1997
, Othoniel created Collier Cicatrice, a small necklace made of red glass that the artist offers to whoever wants to wear it with pride.
In 2000
, a century after Hector Guimard
, Jean-Michel Othoniel transformed the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre
into the Kiosque des Noctambules:
two crowns made of glass and aluminum conceal a bench designed for chance encounters in the sleepy city.
In 2003
, Jean-Michel Othoniel conceived Crystal Palace for the Cartier Foundation in Paris and for MOCA in Miami. For Crystal Palace, he asked glassblowers in Venice and at Marseille’s CIRVA to create forms that would ultimately become enigmatic sculptures standing between jewelry, architecture and erotic objects.
In December 2004 in art
, at the Théâtre de la Ville in Rochefort
and later at the Théâtre du Châtelet
in Paris, Jean-Michel Othoniel staged Le Petit Théâtre de Peau d’Ane, an installation composed of four lacquered wooden sideboards, surmounted by thirty-five glass-filled models, and as many globes or huge vertugadins embroidered with gold and sequins. This installation was conceived as a decor for the tiny puppets that Pierre Loti
used to play with as a child, and that Othoniel discovered in the house of this famous French writer.
Also in 2004, for the exhibition Contrepoint at the Louvre Museum, Jean-Michel Othoniel set his works in the museum’s spectacular Mesopotamian rooms. His monumental glass and aluminum sculptures, which are always created in relation to the places in which they are shown, acquire a timeless and peaceful dimension. The great white river of pearls adorned with nipples, which was purchased by the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, is now on view in the museum’s new collection display.
For the Unlimited Section at Art Basel
2005, Jean-Michel Othoniel showed The Boat of Tears in a pool located in front of the fair. The artist, whose works often combine the political and the intimate, salvaged a boat built by Cuban boat people
and abandoned on the shores of Miami and used it as a basis for his work. A crown, chains and necklaces made of colored glass taper down into giant tears of clear crystal. The sculpture floats on the water like a ghost ship, loaded with tears of suffering and joy, overflowing with memories and covered by festive ornaments.
The artist has progressively built up a world based on ultimate freedom and the acceptance of the reversible, a world characterizing his personality. His work takes on a variety of forms: drawings, sculptures, photographs, narratives, choreography and video. His streamlined works are steeped in poetry and eroticism.
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
Cartier, Paris
1994
sur une table de dissection", (film-performance), ARC, musée d'Art Moderne de
la Ville de Paris, France
1993
1992
chorégraphie de Daniel Larrieu, Marne-la-Vallée, France
1991
1990
1989
1988
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
, as human life is itself characterized by the growth of an individual’s body. If glass as a material has a particular shape, it is certainly the sphere, expressed in multiple ways: the ball, the bead, the drop. As soon as we speak of beads in art, the origins of the Baroque esthetic appear on the horizon—because the term baroco initially designated a bead with irregular and subtly irrational shapes. What makes a bead interesting from the viewpoint of shape is its universal form as well as the wealth of worlds it evokes—the world of jewels, which we drape on the surface of bodies to embellish them, decorate them or ennoble them; the world of chandeliers and lavish decorations arranged in a space for similar purposes. By enlarging jewels and reducing monuments, Othoniel’s installations highlight the confusion of the body in its relationship to the outside world. A body too large or too small. Giant or childlike. We sometimes hesitate between the sacred and the profane in defining this esthetic, which echoes across past centuries marked by liturgical rituals and religious processions, but also by the law of desire and its cohort, of sentimental fantasies. A treasure, fairy tale
, enchantment. But let’s go back to glass: preciosity, fragility, transparency. Glass filters light and color like the stained-glass windows
of cathedrals or the industrial plastics placed in front of nightclub spotlights. And finally, sexuality: transparency evokes both the passivity of consent, the elegiac beauty of adornment, the sumptuousness of seduction. A false modesty, also reflected in the evanescent sensuality of the artist’s drawings and watercolors.
Émile Soulier
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
(France). He lives and works in Paris.
Biography
An artist who has a passion for all sorts of metamorphoses, sublimations and transmutations, Jean-Michel Othoniel has a predilection for materials with reversible properties. Othoniel first gained recognition with a series of sculptures made of sulfur, exhibited at Documenta IX in KasselKassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
in 1992
1992 in art
-Awards:*Archibald Prize: – Bryan Westwood – The Prime Minister *Turner Prize: – Grenville Davey-Works:*Banksy – First graffiti art *Grenville Davey – Hal*Anya Gallaccio – Red on Green...
.
In 1993
1993 in art
The year 1993 in art involved some significant events.-Events:* 7 March – Beavis and Butt-head first appears on MTV.* May – Jay Jopling opens the London gallery White Cube...
, Jean-Michel Othoniel introduced glass into his work and began to explore its properties. Transformations, mutations of materials, and rites of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
from one state to another echo an essential rite in the artist’s work: that of journeys and memory.
In 1994
1994 in art
-Events:*12 February – Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" is stolen in Oslo .*8 April – Michelangelo's Universal Judgement is reopened to public after 10 years of restorations.-Awards:...
, he participated in the exhibition Féminin/Masculin at the Pompidou Center
Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais...
in Paris, with an installation entitled My Beautiful Closet, a mise-en-scène of dancers filmed in the darkness of a closet.
In 1996
1996 in art
-Awards:*Archibald Prize – Wendy Sharpe, Self Portrait as Diana of Erskineville*Jan Amos Comenius Medal – Yaacov Agam, for the "Agam Method" for visual education of young children* The Inaugural Hugo Boss Prize – Matthew Barney...
, Othoniel hung gigantic necklaces in the bamboo gardens of the Villa Medici
Villa Medici
The Villa Medici is a mannerist villa and an architectural complex with a garden contiguous with the larger Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in Rome, Italy. The Villa Medici, founded by Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and now property of the French...
in Rome, and later in the trees of the Venetian garden of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is an art museum on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It is one of several museums of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation....
(1997), and at the Alhambra
Alhambra
The Alhambra , the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra , is a palace and fortress complex located in the Granada, Andalusia, Spain...
and Generalife
Generalife
The Palacio de Generalife was the summer palace and country estate of the Nasrid Emirs of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus, now beside the city of Granada in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain.-History:...
, in Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
(1999
1999 in art
-Events:*28 May – After 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" is placed back on display in Milan, Italy.*The Stuckism movement is founded by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson.-Works:*Louise Bourgeois – Maman...
). Similar to a forbidden fruit
Forbidden fruit
Forbidden fruit is any object of desire whose appeal is a direct result of knowledge that cannot or should not be obtained or something that someone may want but is forbidden to have....
, the necklace has a life in and of itself: it merges into the landscape and the leaves, like organic outgrowths absorbing shadows and diffracting light. The notion of wound or injury is at the heart of his work. In 1997
1997 in art
-Events:*27 January – It is revealed that French museums had nearly 2,000 pieces of art that had been stolen by Nazis.*6 March – Pablo Picasso's Tête de Femme is stolen from a London gallery ....
, Othoniel created Collier Cicatrice, a small necklace made of red glass that the artist offers to whoever wants to wear it with pride.
In 2000
2000 in art
-Events:*February – Opening of the New Art Gallery Walsall in the West Midlands of England.*13 February – The final original Peanuts comic strip is published, following the death of its creator, Charles Schulz....
, a century after Hector Guimard
Hector Guimard
Hector Guimard was an architect, who is now the best-known representative of the French Art Nouveau style of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
, Jean-Michel Othoniel transformed the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre
Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre (Paris Metro)
Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre is a station on lines 1 and 7 of the Paris Métro.It is one of the eight original stations opened as part of the first section of line 1 between Porte de Vincennes and Porte Maillot on 19 July 1900, under the name Palais Royal. The line 7 platforms were opened on 1...
into the Kiosque des Noctambules:
two crowns made of glass and aluminum conceal a bench designed for chance encounters in the sleepy city.
In 2003
2003 in art
-Events:*January 21 – The Spire of Dublin is completed.*May 11 – Benvenuto Cellini's Saliera is stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.*November – Gustav Klimt's Landhaus am Attersee sells for $29,128,000.-Full date unknown:...
, Jean-Michel Othoniel conceived Crystal Palace for the Cartier Foundation in Paris and for MOCA in Miami. For Crystal Palace, he asked glassblowers in Venice and at Marseille’s CIRVA to create forms that would ultimately become enigmatic sculptures standing between jewelry, architecture and erotic objects.
In December 2004 in art
2004 in art
The year 2004 in art involved some significant events.-Events:*24 May – A fire in the Momart storage warehouse destroys major works by Helen Chadwick, Tracey Emin, Patrick Heron, Damien Hirst and other British artists.-Awards:...
, at the Théâtre de la Ville in Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
and later at the Théâtre du Châtelet
Théâtre du Châtelet
The Théâtre du Châtelet is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.One of two theatres built on the site of a châtelet, a small castle or fortress, it was designed by Gabriel Davioud at the request of Baron Haussmann between 1860 and...
in Paris, Jean-Michel Othoniel staged Le Petit Théâtre de Peau d’Ane, an installation composed of four lacquered wooden sideboards, surmounted by thirty-five glass-filled models, and as many globes or huge vertugadins embroidered with gold and sequins. This installation was conceived as a decor for the tiny puppets that Pierre Loti
Pierre Loti
Pierre Loti was a French novelist and naval officer.-Biography:Loti's education began in his birthplace, Rochefort, Charente-Maritime. At the age of seventeen he entered the naval school in Brest and studied at Le Borda. He gradually rose in his profession, attaining the rank of captain in 1906...
used to play with as a child, and that Othoniel discovered in the house of this famous French writer.
Also in 2004, for the exhibition Contrepoint at the Louvre Museum, Jean-Michel Othoniel set his works in the museum’s spectacular Mesopotamian rooms. His monumental glass and aluminum sculptures, which are always created in relation to the places in which they are shown, acquire a timeless and peaceful dimension. The great white river of pearls adorned with nipples, which was purchased by the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, is now on view in the museum’s new collection display.
For the Unlimited Section at Art Basel
Art Basel
Art Basel is an international contemporary art fair held each June in Basel, Switzerland. Similar to the Venice Biennale, it has been called "the Olympics of the art world". Art Basel features nearly 300 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa...
2005, Jean-Michel Othoniel showed The Boat of Tears in a pool located in front of the fair. The artist, whose works often combine the political and the intimate, salvaged a boat built by Cuban boat people
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
and abandoned on the shores of Miami and used it as a basis for his work. A crown, chains and necklaces made of colored glass taper down into giant tears of clear crystal. The sculpture floats on the water like a ghost ship, loaded with tears of suffering and joy, overflowing with memories and covered by festive ornaments.
The artist has progressively built up a world based on ultimate freedom and the acceptance of the reversible, a world characterizing his personality. His work takes on a variety of forms: drawings, sculptures, photographs, narratives, choreography and video. His streamlined works are steeped in poetry and eroticism.
Public collections
- Museum of Modern Art, New YorkMuseum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, USA - Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
- Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France
- Fondation Cartier Pour l'Art Contemporain, Paris, France
- New Orleans Museum of Art, La Nouvelle-OrléansNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, USA - Fonds National d'Art Contemporain, Paris, France
- Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, France
- New York Public LibraryNew York Public LibraryThe New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
, New York, USA - FRAC Languedoc-Roussillon, France
- FRAC Aquitaine, France
- Musée d'Art moderne de Saint-Étienne, Saint-Etienne, France
- Chanel Hong Kong, Chine
- Chanel Los Angeles, USA
- Filmoteca universitaria de Barcelona, Barcelone, Espagne
- Métro de Toulouse, France
- Lycée Arthur Rimbaud, Amiens, France
Solo Shows
2008- Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Miami
- Sikkema Jenkins & Co, New York
2007
- "Les Larmes de Couleurs" (public commission), Lycée Arthur Rimbaud, Amiens, France
- "Le Confident", (public commission), Square Lépine, Nice, FranceNiceNice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
- "Le Rideau d’Or", Chanel, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
- "Le Petit Théâtre de Peau d’Âne", Palais de Dolmabahçe, X° Biennale d’Istanbul, Turkey
- "Le Coffre à Secrets", Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, FranceParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
2006
- "Peggy's necklace", Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, ItalyVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
- "Dessins" Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, France
- "Le Collier Blanc", permanent installation, Chanel, Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Japon - "Epée de l'Académicien de M. Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière", installation in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
2005
- "Le Petit Théâtre de Peau d’Ane", Théâtre du Chatelet, Paris
- "Candélabres", permanent installation, Villa Amistà, Vérone, Italy
2004
- "House of Glass", MOCA, Miami, USA
- "Le petit théatre de Peau d'âne», Othoniel/Loti, Maison Pierre Loti et Théatre de la coupe d'or, Rochefort, France.
- "Le Petit Théâtre de Peau d’Ane", Musée-Atelier département du verre de Sars-Poterie, Lille, FranceLilleLille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
2003
- "Black is beautiful", Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris (with Sophie CalleSophie CalleSophie Calle is a French writer, photographer, installation artist, and conceptual artist. Calle's work is distinguished by its use of arbitrary sets of constraints, and evokes the French literary movement of the 1960s known as Oulipo. Her work frequently depicts human vulnerability, and examines...
) - "Lagrimas", Musée d'art moderne de Saint-Etienne, France
- "L'arbre aux colliers", permanent installation in the sculpture garden Sidney Besthoff, New Orleans Museum of Modern Art, La Nouvelle Orléans, USA
- "La Tombe de Jean Lafont", permanent installation, Le Cailar, France
- "Crystal Palace", Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris
- "Fragile", FRAC Champagne Ardenne, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims
2002
- "Pluie d'Or", Sala la Gallera, Valencia, SpainValencia (city in Spain)Valencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
- "Lagrimas", Museo del Vidrio, Monterrey, MexicoMonterreyMonterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
2001
- "Collier", Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle, Belgium
- "Parade", Newcomb Art Gallery, Tulane UniversityTulane UniversityTulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
, La Nouvelle Orléans, USA - "La fontaine du Plaisir et des Larmes", Galerie Pièce Unique, Paris
2000
- "Le Kiosque des Noctambules", permanent installation at the Métro Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre, Place Colette, Paris
- "Jean-Michel Othoniel", dutacion de Granada, Palacio de los Condes de Gabia, Grenada, Spain
1999
- "A shadow in your Window", Bibliothèque Nationale de FranceBibliothèque nationale de FranceThe is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
, Paris - "Les Amants Suspendus", Galerie Clara Rainhorn, Bruxelles, Belgium
- "Trésor", Yerba BuenaYerba BuenaYerba buena is a rambling aromatic herb of western and northwestern North America, ranging from maritime Alaska southwards to Baja California Sur...
Center for the Arts, San Francisco - California College of Arts and CraftsCalifornia College of the ArtsCalifornia College of the Arts , founded in 1907, is known for its broad, interdisciplinary programs in art, design, architecture, and writing. It has two campuses, one in Oakland and one in San Francisco, California, USA...
, Oakland, USA - "Jean-Michel Othoniel", Sala Rekalde, Bilbao, SpainBilbaoBilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
1998
- ARCO, Galerie Barbara Farber, Madrid
- "PS1", Contemporary Art Center, New-York
- Yves Saint Laurent 88 wooster, New York
- Sculpture in the Dark, "La Folle Journée du Piano", Hippodrome du Douai, France
1997
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy
- Musée des Art Décoratifs, Palais du Louvre, Paris, France
- Galerie Senda, Barcelona, SpainBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
1996
- "The Wishing Wall", Galerie Arndt & Partner, Berlin
1995
- Gramercy Park Hotel, Galerie Ghislaine Hussenot, New York
- "XIe olympiades nationales de la chimie", Maison de la chimieMaison de la ChimieThe Maison de la Chimie is an international conference center in Paris, France, located near the National Assembly.The house is managed by a nonprofit association...
, Paris - "Scratch and Tits Paintings", Galerie Barbara Farber, Amsterdam, NetherlandsAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
- "Le Ballet de l'Innommable", Proton ICA, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- "Les Innommables", Galerie Ghislaine Hussenot, Paris
- "Le Ballet de l'Innommable", (performance), Les Soirées Nomades, Fondation
Cartier, Paris
- Villa Médicis, Rome, ItalyRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
- "L.A. International", Viennial Invitational, Kohn-Turner Gallery, Los Angeles
1994
- "Il était beau comme la rencontre fortuite d'un parapluie et d'une machine à coudre
sur une table de dissection", (film-performance), ARC, musée d'Art Moderne de
la Ville de Paris, France
- "Le Jaune de Soufre", Galerie d'Art de Mourenx, France
1993
- Galerie Nicole Klagsbrun, New York
- "Los Angeles International", Michael Kohn, Los Angeles
- Museo d'Historia de la Medicina de Catalunya, Galeria Senda, Barcelone, Spain
- "L'Hermaphrodite", Musée d'Art moderne de Saint-Étienne, France
1992
- Galerie des Arènes, Musée d'Art contemporain de la Ville de Nîmes, France
- "Rideau", installation on the stage of the theater of the Ferme Dubuisson,
chorégraphie de Daniel Larrieu, Marne-la-Vallée, France
Marne-la-Vallée
Marne-la-Vallée is a new town located near Paris, France.Disneyland Paris, Val d'Europe,Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée,and École des Ponts ParisTech are located in Marne-la-Vallée.-Status:...
- Galerie Ghislaine Hussenot, Paris, France
- "Lauréat de la Villa Médicis Hors les Murs", Madrid, SpainMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
1991
- "Capotes !", Centre Genevois de Gravure Contemporaine, Geneva, SwitzerlandGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
1990
- L'Instituto Francese di Napoli, Napoli, Italy
- "Das Lapidarium", Kunstlerhaus BethanienBerlin
- Galerie Ghislaine Hussenot, Paris
1989
- "A Travers le Grand Vide Critique", Galerie Antoine Candau, Paris
- "SAGA Grand Palais", Galerie Antoine Candau, Paris
1988
- "FIAC", Galerie Antoine Candau, Paris
Group exhibitions
2008- Rencontres d'Arles festival (France)
- Sonsbeek Festival (Pays Bas)
2007
- "Territoires ré-enchantés" a seclection of FRAC Ile de France's collection, Maison des Arts Plastiques Rosa Bonheur, Chevilly-LarueChevilly-LarueChevilly-Larue is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Name:Chevilly-Larue was originally called simply Chevilly...
, France - "Art Projects : Aides", Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris
- "L’Art dans la Ville avec le Tramway Nice Côte d’Azur", Galerie des Ponchettes, Nice, France
- "Dialogues Méditerranéens", Musée de L'Annonciade, St TropezSaint-TropezSaint-Tropez is a town, 104 km to the east of Marseille, in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. It is also the principal town in the canton of Saint-Tropez....
, France - "Mining Glass", The Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA, USA
- "1607–2007 : quatre siècles de création", inaugural exhibition of the Galerie des Gobelins, Paris
- "Quintette", French Institute, Ankara, TurkeyAnkaraAnkara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
- "Métissage", Centre d’Art de la Maison Jim Thompson, Bangkok, ThailandBangkokBangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
2006
- "Puppy Love : Puppies against cancer", Luminaires, Design District Showroom, Miami
- "Resonance", Frith Street Gallery, London
- "Les oubliés", FIAC2006, installation in the Tuileries gardenTuileries PalaceThe Tuileries Palace was a royal palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine until 1871, when it was destroyed in the upheaval during the suppression of the Paris Commune...
, Paris - "Peggy's Necklace", Nuit Blanche 2006, Crédit Municipal, Paris
- "Art'Fab"n Jardin de la Citadelle, Saint-Tropez, France
- "2 jours de nuit..." Place Saint-SulpicePlace Saint-SulpiceThe large public space at the Place Saint Sulpice, which is dominated on its eastern side by the church of Saint-Sulpice, was built in 1754 as a tranquil garden in the Latin Quarter of the 6th arrondissement of Paris.-Attractions of the square:...
, Paris VI° (homage to Raymond HainsRaymond HainsRaymond Hains was a French artist and photographer.-Biography:In 1945, Hains briefly enrolled in the sculpture course at the École des Beaux-Arts, Rennes and met Jacques de la Villeglé that same year. He then collaborated with E. Sougez as a photographer for France-Illustration...
) - "Voilà !", Dialogues ! Christian Lacroix, Tel-AvivTel AvivTel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Israël - "Collection of the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain", MOT, Tokyo
- "Essences Insensées", parcours Saint Germain des PrésSaint-Germain-des-PrésSaint-Germain-des-Prés is an area of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés....
, Paris - "La Force de l'Art", Grand PalaisGrand PalaisThis article contains material abridged and translated from the French and Spanish Wikipedia.The Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, commonly known as the Grand Palais , is a large historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France...
, Paris, France - "Métissages", Umleckoprumyslové Museum V Praze, Prague, Czech republicPraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
- "Art Paris 06", Foire d'Art Moderne + Contemporain, Grand Palais, Paris
- "Art Contemporain", Artcurial (auction), Hôtel Dassault, Paris
- "Métissages", Musées du Costume et du Septennat et Musée de la civilisation celtique, Bibracte, France
2005
- Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris (opening of the new gallery space)
- "Le corps et le paysage", Donation Mario Prassinos, Saint Rémy de ProvenceSaint-Rémy-de-ProvenceSaint-Rémy-de-Provence is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Geography:...
, France - "Métissage", Muse Metropolitano de Monterrey, Mexico; Museo del Arzobispado de Mexico, MexicoMéxico, México"México, México" is a song by the Latin Pop group RBD. It was the official song for Mexico's soccer team that competed in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The song is about having faith in the team and cheering them up. The song is only sung by the band's girls, Anahí, Maite, and Dulce María...
- "L'Autre Métissage", La Paz, BoliviaLa PazNuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
- "Art Basel", Miami Beach
- "Art Unlimited", Basel, SwitzerlandBaselBasel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
- "Dialogues !" Christian Lacroix, Musée National des Beaux-Arts de Chine, Pékin, China; The James H.W. Thomson Fondation; Jim Thomson House, Bangkok, ThaÏlande
- "Miroirs d'artistes", Fondation Claude Pomidou, Paris
2004
- "Contrepoint (des artistes contemporains au Louvre)", Musée du Louvre, Paris
- "Plain Sight" Bloomberg Space, London
- Biennial, "Braunschweig Parcours", Braunschweig
- "Métissage", Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Oaxaca, MexicoOaxaca, OaxacaThe city and municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez, or simply Oaxaca, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name . It is located in the Centro District in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín...
; Galeria des Tatro PeonContreras de Mérida, MexicoMérida, YucatánMérida is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Yucatán and the Yucatán Peninsula. It is located in the northwest part of the state, about from the Gulf of Mexico coast...
; Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle, Alençon, France - "Dialogues !", Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle, Alençon, France
- "Au fil [des fils], art contemporain et artisanat, Chateau d'Oiron, France
- FIAC, Paris
- "Ligne-Art", Fondation pour l'Art Contemporain, Toulouse, FranceToulouseToulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
- "Festival Rayons Frais, les arts et la ville", Tours, FranceToursTours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
2003
- "Métissage", Chateau de Vogué, Ardèche, France
- "Art Contemporain", Paris-Hôtel Dassault, vente aux enchères, Paris
- "Fragile - regards contemporains sur la salle de céramique", 20 ans des FRAC, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims, FranceReimsReims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
- "Meanwhile in the real world", Chapelle de la Sorbonne, Paris
2002
- "Art basel", Miami Beach, USA
- "Heart of Glass", Crafts Cousil Gallery, London
- "Métissages", Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Saint-BrieucSaint-BrieucSaint-Brieuc is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-History:Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who evangelized the region in the 6th century and established an oratory there...
, France - "Zoersel", Domein Kasteel van Halle - Gemeetehuis, Zoersel, Belgium
- "The Houston International Festival", Houston, TexasHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, USA
2001
- "Heart of glass", Queens Museum of ArtQueens Museum of ArtThe Queens Museum of Art is an art museum and educational center located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the borough of Queens in New York City, United States.-Overview:...
, New York, USA - "Ficçaô", Centre Culturel Banque Brésil, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
- "Métissages", Musée de Louviers, France; Museo de Arte de Lima, Peru; Centro Cultural RecoletaCentro Cultural RecoletaThe Recoleta Cultural Centre is an exhibition and cultural events centre located in the barrio of Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina....
(sala 4), Buenos Aires, ArgentinaBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent... - "Le Cirva a 15 ans", Galerie d'Art du Conseil Général des Bouches-du-Rhônes, Aix-en-Provence, FranceAix-en-ProvenceAix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
- FIAC 2001, Paris
- "Art Brussels 2001", Brussels, BelgiumBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
- "Singuliers, Multiple (2)", Galerie Artem, Quimper, France
2000
- "Tongue in cheek", Fondation Deste, Centre d'Art Contemporain, Athens, GreeceAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
- "Heaven", Tate Gallery Liverpool, UKLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
- Kwangju Biennal, South Korea
- "Métissages", Espace Saint-Jacques, Saint-QuentinSaint-Quentin, AisneSaint-Quentin is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France. It has been identified as the Augusta Veromanduorum of antiquity. It is named after Saint Quentin, who is said to have been martyred here in the 3rd century....
Picardie, France - "Narcisse blesssé, auoportrait contemporain 1970 - 2000" Passage de Retz, Paris
- ARCO 2000, Madrid, Spain
- Citadelle de Saint Florent exhibition, Haute Corse, France
- "Passage: New French Art", Nagoya City Art MuseumNagoya City Art MuseumThe Nagoya City Art Museum is located in the city of Nagoya in central Japan.The museum building itself was constructed by Kisho Kurokawa, one of the leading Japanese architects, from 1983-1987....
, Japan; Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Japan; Hiroshima City Museum of Modern Art, Japan - ""Voilà", le monde dans la tête", Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France
- "La Ville/Le Jardin/La Mémoire", Villa Médicis, Académie de France à RomeFrench Academy in RomeThe French Academy in Rome is an Academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio in Rome, Italy.-History:...
, Italy - "...rayons du sourire et de la volupté.", Hôtel de SoubiseHôtel de SoubiseThe Hôtel de Soubise is a city mansion entre cour et jardin , located at 60 rue des Francs-Bourgeois, in the IIIe arrondissement of Paris....
, Paris - "La Vitrine", Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Paris-Cergy, France
1999
- "Cartographies", Saline Royale Arc et Senans, France
- "Heaven", Kunsthalle, Düsseldorf, GermanyDüsseldorfDüsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
- "Flashes", Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbone, Portugal
- "Doubles vides", Musée Barbier Muëller, Barcelona, Spain
- "Passage: new french art", Setagaya Art museum, Tokyo
1998
- "Dumbpop", Jerwood Fondation, London
- "Métissages", Musée du LuxembourgMusée du LuxembourgMusée du Luxembourg is a museum in Paris, France. It occupies the east wing of the Palais du Luxembourg, whose matching west wing originally housed Ruben's Marie de' Medici cycle. Since 2000 it has been run by the French Ministry of Culture and the Senate and is devoted to temporary exhibitions...
, Paris; Château-Musée d'Annecy, France - ARCO, Madrid, Spain
- Fondation Joan Miró, Barcelona, Spain
1997
- "Amours", Fondation Cartier, Paris
- "Sous le manteau", Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris
- "Crossing Hawaii", University Museum, Honolulu, USA
- "Beau comme un camion", Europride 97, Paris, France
- "Ici & maintenant", La VilletteParc de la VilletteThe Parc de la Villette is a park in Paris at the outer edge of the 19th arrondissement, bordering the Boulevard Périphérique, which is a ring road around Paris, and the suburban department of Seine-Saint-Denis.-History:...
, Paris, France
1996
- "Opera Paese via di pietralata", Roma, Italy
- "Art dans la ville", Saint-Etienne, France
- Villa Médicis, Rome, Italie
1995
- National Museum of Contemporary art, Séoul, Corée du Sud- Fine Art Museum, Taïpei (Collection de la Fondation Cartier), Taïwan
- "Le corps de la mémoire", Musée des Augustins, Toulouse, France
- "WAX", Nohra Haime Gallery, New York
- "Fiction non-fiction", Printed Matter, New York
- "Lx", Aldebaran, Espace Vigneron, France
- "Livres d'artistes et livres liturgiques aujourd'hui", Espace Georges Bernanos, Paris
- "Avant-garde Walk a Venezia", Venice, Italy
- "Féminin-Masculin, le sexe de l'art", Musée National d'Art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
1994
- "Of the human condition", Spiral/Vacoal Art Center, Tokyo
- "Gift", Inter Art Center, New York
- "Pour les chapelles de Vence", projet d'Yvon Lambert, Château de Villeneuve, Vence, France; Espace des Arts, Chalon-sur-SaôneChalon-sur-SaôneChalon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon....
, France; CAPC, Bordeaux, FranceBordeauxBordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture... - "Melancolia", Centre Régional d'Art contemporain de Clermont-FerrandClermont-FerrandClermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
, France - "Le Papillon sur la Roue", Palais des Arts, Toulouse, France
- "Aldebaran et la collection Yvon Lambert", Baillargues, France
- In khan Gallery, New York
- "Les centres d'art", La Criée, Rennes, FranceRennesRennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
1993
- "Jean-Michel Othoniel, David Renaud, Matthew Weinstein", Galerie Delsol, Paris
- "Azur", Fondation Cartier, Jouy-en-JosasJouy-en-JosasJouy-en-Josas is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the south-western suburbs of Paris from the center.Jouy-en-Josas is home to the prestigious HEC School of Management.-Geography:...
, France - "CAPS", Galeria Senda, Barcelona, Spain
- "Hôtel Carlton Palace, chambre 763", exhibition curated by Hans-ulrich Obrist, Hôtel Carlton Palace, Paris
- "L'Autre à Montevideo", Museo nacional de artes visualesNational Museum of Visual Arts (Uruguay)National Museum of Visual Arts is the name of a museum, Julio Herrera y Reissig esq. Tomás Giribaldi, s/n, In Parque Rodó, Montevideo, Uruguay. It was inaugurated on December 10 of 1911....
, Montevideo, UruguayMontevideoMontevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento... - "Des Livres", Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris
- "Présentation de la collection", Musée d'Art Contemporain de la Ville de Nîmes, France
1992
- "Regards Multiples", Galeries Contemporaines, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
- "Documenta IX", Kassel, Germany
- "Oh ! Cet écho !", Centre culturel Suisse, Paris
- Istanbul Biennial, Turquey
- FIAC 92, Paris
1991
- "Moules, Moules", Espace Paul Boyer, Sète, France
- "Veramante Falso", Rottonda di Via Besena, Milano, Italy
- "Echt Falsch " Villa Stück, Munich, GermanyMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
- "Anni novanta", Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Bologna, ItalyBolognaBologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
- "Too French", National Museum of Modern Art, Hong-Kong; Hara Museum of Contemporary ArtHara Museum of Contemporary ArtThe Hara Museum of Contemporary Art is one of the oldest museums of contemporary art in Japan. The museum is in The Roppongi district, in the Akasaka area of Tokyo. It's street address is: 4-7-25 Kitashinagawa, Tokyo 140-0001....
, Tokyo - "Les couleurs de l'argent", Musée de la Poste, Paris
1990
- "Total Novo", Palerme, Italy
- "Je viens de chez le charcutier" de Bernard Marcadé, Galerie Ghislaine Hussenot, Paris
1989
- CIMAL International, Valencia, Spain
- "Nos années 80", Fondation Cartier, Jouy-en-Josas, France
- "Arène/Rituels", Musée Bonnat, Bayonne, FranceBayonneBayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
1988
- "Germination IV", Frauen Museum, Bonn, GermanyBonnBonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
; De Beyerd, Centre d'Art Contemporain de Breda, Netherlands; Royal College of ArtRoyal College of ArtThe Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
, London - "Ateliers 88", ARC, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris
- "Caserne Vauban", Villa-Saint-Clair, Sète, France
1987
- Salon de la jeune sculpture, Paris
- "Germination IV", Vieille Charité, Marseille, FranceMarseilleMarseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
Texts
What is glass? It is a transparency draped in reflections and stitched with metal, which the French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, born in Saint-Étienne in 1964, has adopted as the leitmotif for his work since 1993. It’s a hard, breakable material, or, to use a more scientific language, an amorphous, non-crystalline solid, which achieves a vitreous transformation, formed of silica and a flux, and discovered at the dawn of human history in the sands of the Middle East. For the artist, it is both a signature and a territory: the secret garden of his fantasies, a wonderland through the looking glass. Contemporary artistic processes are always based on the obsessive repetition of a theme or visual motif, like the storyteller who constantly repeats the same seminal event, or the musician who eternally sings the same refrain in order to dissect the content, and to use all its resources. The disappearance—or perhaps merely the eclipse—of traditional genres during the twentieth century certainly ushered in a collective vacuum that was taken over, rather unscrupulous, by the play of individual follies. Othoniel seized on glass as if it were an abandoned, undeveloped plot containing a conceptual treasure. The characteristic of this material is that is appears on the end of the spectrum of scales, from miniature to monumental. Today, as in the past, manipulation of scale is one of the fundamental operations at work in artistic creation. By enlarging and reducing, by altering the interplay of sizes and formats, the world of art incorporates one of the great production methods for the extraordinary. It is also a time machineTime travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
, as human life is itself characterized by the growth of an individual’s body. If glass as a material has a particular shape, it is certainly the sphere, expressed in multiple ways: the ball, the bead, the drop. As soon as we speak of beads in art, the origins of the Baroque esthetic appear on the horizon—because the term baroco initially designated a bead with irregular and subtly irrational shapes. What makes a bead interesting from the viewpoint of shape is its universal form as well as the wealth of worlds it evokes—the world of jewels, which we drape on the surface of bodies to embellish them, decorate them or ennoble them; the world of chandeliers and lavish decorations arranged in a space for similar purposes. By enlarging jewels and reducing monuments, Othoniel’s installations highlight the confusion of the body in its relationship to the outside world. A body too large or too small. Giant or childlike. We sometimes hesitate between the sacred and the profane in defining this esthetic, which echoes across past centuries marked by liturgical rituals and religious processions, but also by the law of desire and its cohort, of sentimental fantasies. A treasure, fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
, enchantment. But let’s go back to glass: preciosity, fragility, transparency. Glass filters light and color like the stained-glass windows
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
of cathedrals or the industrial plastics placed in front of nightclub spotlights. And finally, sexuality: transparency evokes both the passivity of consent, the elegiac beauty of adornment, the sumptuousness of seduction. A false modesty, also reflected in the evanescent sensuality of the artist’s drawings and watercolors.
Émile Soulier