Jean-Michel Othoniel

In 2003, the artist created pieces especially for the expo Crystal Palace in Venice and the  International Glass and Visual Arts Research Centre (Cirva) in Marseille. They consisted of shapes in blown glass made into enigmatic sculptures, simultaneously reminiscent of jewellery, architecture and erotic objects. The exhibition then travelled to the Museum of Contemporary Art of North Miami (MoCA). The Fondation Cartier also presented an exploration of his oeuvre in exhibitions such as J’en Rêve in 2005 where he was invited, along with other major artists on the French art scene, to discover upcoming young talent. The Fondation Cartier has also featured his works in exhibitions abroad.

Jean-Michel Othoniel has a taste for metamorphoses, sublimations and transmutations, so he prefers using materials that have reversible properties. He first gained fame through his sculptures in sulphur, lead, wax and phosphorus. In 1993, he also added glass to his repertoire, a material whose qualities he continues to explore. The delicate subtlety of glass and its colours are an intrinsic part of the artist's immense project: to return poetry and enchantment to the world. He was a resident at the Villa Medicis in Rome in 1996. In 2000, for his first public commission, he transformed the entrance of the Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre metro station in Paris a century after its creation by Hector Guimard. Othoniel's Kiosque des Noctambules is comprised of a double crown made of glass and aluminium which conceals a bench for fortuitous encounters while the city sleeps. His works are always in dialogue with their environment, and have become part of major international collections.