French sculptor Philippe Anthonioz (b. 1953) lives and works between Paris and Provence, in the countryside of France. There, the artist expands upon a significant body of work that encompasses both functional and nonfunctional sculptures. Each is an intimate expression of the artist, deeply informed by the nature and materiality of its medium. Swinging between plaster, bronze, and wood with virtuoso, Philippe’s work embodies the sculptor’s dexterity as much as his artistic sensibility.

Philippe's pieces are both playful and commanding; they bring gravitas to the contemporary landscape, conveying time-honored techniques with elements that are figurative or abstract, lyrical or cubist. Some evoke the rhythm and construction of a Jazz composition. Their continuous juxtaposition of forms creates a sense of movement with grounded lightness.

Often starting on paper, rough lines and hand-sketched silhouettes morph into plaster forms through the dexterous fingers of the artist. A material that he particularly values for its softness and malleability, which allows him to emphasize the tactile nature of his work. Left with the marks of the sculptor's transformative hands on their skin, each piece conveys the personal relationship that formed between the artist and each of his sculptures. Most of Philippe's plaster pieces are eventually cast in solid bronze. A process perceived by the artist as the fossilization or permanent capture of the sculpted form, using the liquid alloy to solidify its soft, textured skin.

M101

M031

French sculptor Philippe Anthonioz lives and works between Paris and Provence, in the countryside of France. There, the artist expands upon a significant body of work that encompasses both functional and nonfunctional sculptures. Each piece is an intimate expression of the artist, deeply informed by the nature and materiality of its medium. Swinging between plaster, bronze, and wood with virtuoso, Philippe’s work embodies the sculptor’s dexterity as much as his artistic sensitivity.

Philippe's pieces are both playful and commanding; they bring gravitas to the contemporary landscape, conveying time-honored techniques though elements that are figurative, abstract, lyrical or cubist. Some evoke the rhythm, beat, and construction of a Jazz composition. Their continuous juxtaposition of forms creates a sense of movement with a grounded lightness.

Most often, Philippe’s ideas are birthed on paper, through hand-sketched lines and rough silhouettes. The plaster is then morphed into sculptural forms through the artist’s fingers. The softness and malleability of this traditional material allows the artist to emphasize the highly tactile nature of his work. Left with the marks of the sculptor’s transformative hands on their skin, each piece conveys the personal relationship formed between the artist and each of his sculptures. One that is eventually fossilized into solid bronze, a process perceived by the artist as the permanent capture of a sculpted form, its ethereal movement, freezing the soft-nature of its tactile surface with the solid alloy.

Philippe’s wood sculptures feel equally rooted in the bare nature of their materials, personality and lightness. While each evokes the same sense of movement and playfulness in its own way, they all convey the material’s warm simplicity. The sculptor’s work in wood represents a significant side of his creative space and ongoing explorations.

With a longstanding interest in the interplay between outdoor sculptures and public spaces, the artist has revealed that some of his pieces started as ideas and exploration for public artwork; Some of which were commissioned and gave birth to monumental sculptures for environments either natural or urban, in landscapes both private and public. 

“Philippe Anthonioz creates monumental sculptures, harmonious ensembles of independent abstract forms that playfully engage with the untouched nature and the radiant light of the outdoor space,”

 says French Art historian and biographer Pierre Daix 

“His work never imposes itself. Instead, it becomes a visual appeal elegantly blended in its environment.”

In all scales, and in either medium, Philippe’s sculptures feel like abstract poems written with textured materials in lieu of words. Whether functional or non-functional, the sculptor’s body of work exemplifies the depth and breadth of his artistic expression and his unwavering dedication.

M023

M092

M033

M025

Daybeds & Benches

French sculptor Philippe Anthonioz (b. 1953) lives and works between Paris and Provence, in the countryside of France. There, the artist expands upon a significant body of work that encompasses both functional and nonfunctional sculptures. Each is an intimate expression of the artist, rooted in the nature and materiality of its medium. Swinging between plaster, bronze, and wood with virtuoso, Philippe’s work embodies the sculptor’s dexterity as much as his artistic sensibility.

The artist's vocation may have been influenced by his childhood with a family of artists and art enthusiasts. Philippe was raised by two parents who shared a deep interest in the arts with circles of friends that included some of the most critical artists and intellectuals of the 20th century in Paris.

Between 1972 and 1982, Philippe spent his formative years honing his craftsmanship mastery working as a carpenter, a period and a discipline for which he retains a special affinity. During those years, the artist extended the technical skills learned in carpentry to his personal work and artistic explorations. Philippe confides that he continues to approach a sculpture as a constructor, starting most of his pieces, whether abstract or figurative, from a constructivist perspective.

In 1982, Philippe was asked by fellow artist Diego Giacometti to join him at the studio. With both of his hands challenged by his health condition, the renowned sculptor worked closely with Philippe until his passing in 1985. During these years, Philippe became an extension of Diego Giacometti's hands, helping him fabricate most of the studio's works and fixtures conceptualized for the Musee Picasso commission in Paris.

With a longstanding interest for monumental sculptures and their relation to the fabric of public spaces, Philippe’s small wood or plaster pieces might conceal the artist’s vision for an enlarged iteration aimed to engage with the public in outdoor spaces. Yet to the eye of the appreciator, each of these models, whether sculpted in wood or plaster, represents an elegant work of art with both its intimate scale and its monumental idea.

“In his work, the artwork never imposes itself. Instead, it becomes an elegant appeal to the eye.”

In all scales, and either medium, Philippe’s work feels like an abstract poem written with textured materials in lieu of words, punctuated by forms in frozen movements. As an ensemble, the artist’s sculptures, both functional and non-functional, exemplify the depth and breadth of his artistic expression and unwavering dedication.