Biography
Born in Reims, Champagne, France. Studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Reims (1972-77) and Ecole National Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris (1977-79).
Initially a painter, he worked with chalk, oxides, ash on rough canvas tarpaulins mounted on rudimentary stretchers, transforming their window motif into a cross. This form then developed into a bas-relief and Lapie's materials evolved: sheet metal, cement and charred wood for In Case of War (1992, Champagne-Ardenne); cement, paint and concrete reinforcement bars for War Game, a public commission that was censored in 1995.
From the patent brutality of this experience – and following a creative visit to the Amazon Forest – Lapie moved on directly to producing monumental sculptures, shaping figures in rough-hewn, fire-blackened timber. Some were created in the Champagne region, which witnessed bloody fighting during World War I, and were erected in various locations around the world.
Nationality