Arnaud Laval

Born in 1945 in Reims, Arnaud Laval has had a passion for the theater and that of Shakespeare from a young age - Hamlet, the Tempest, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet - in particular, and a source of inspiration for his works: drawings, engravings and above all his “theater boxes”, installed in boxes, staging a dreamlike and tiny world in engraved, painted and cut paper. After the Applied Arts of Prague, learning to perform and directing “Wizard of Oz” directed by Michaël Meschke, then “What happened to Hans and Gretel? »Directed by Luisa Meschke at the Marionetteatern in Stockholm 1965 - 1968, Arnaud Laval back in Paris, studies animated film at the ORTF and directs a series for children. At the same time, he studied engraving in Friedlaender's studio in Paris. He created a scenography, sets and costumes for Elisabeth Janvier at the Théâtre de la Commune in Aubervilliers “Nils Holgerssons”, then for Jean-Louis Temporal, the scenography and costumes for “l'Enfant et les sortilèges”, a work by Colette and musical composition by Maurice Ravel at the Théâtre Romain Rolland in Villejuif 1972-1974. He took over the engraving and illustration of children's books, Flammarion, Grasset, Presse de la Cité, Artemis Verlag Zurich, Emme Edizioni Milan, Lemniscaat Netherlands, as well as animated films. On the occasion of the realization of a large advertising film set for the launch of a Guerlain perfume, he entered the artistic direction of this house as a designer (1979). In 1988, he was called by Yves Saint-Laurent Parfums to be responsible for international decoration. The many trips and the necessary reactivity sharpened his creativity for events, press launches and shop window decorations In 1992, he was asked to join Maison Lanvin as director of interior architecture In 1994, he set up his company in as an independent international designer-consultant for Jean-Paul Gaultier, Issey Miyake, Yamamoto, Chantal Tomas, Armani, Make up for ever, Lancôme, l'Oréal, Viktor & Rolf, Lanvin, Guerlain, Serge Lutens… In 2001, a line of furniture is created as "Arnaud Laval Design". Since 2005, he returns to the sources of his initial training: scenography, engravings, drawings, light sculptures and the creation of his “Theater Boxes” which will make up the exhibition at the Minsky Gallery from April 4 to May 13, 2017.