Olivier Chalmin

Olivier Chalmin is a French sculptor born in 1965. He comes from a family of artists, where he acquired his knowledge of the world of arts and his ability to observe reality. His father, an expert in antiquities, guided him and influenced him in his learning of classical Greek statuary. After his studies in history of art at the School of Louvre, he did a training in sculpture at the Pétrus Academy in Paris. He then shared his time between London, Los Angeles, Biarritz. He currently lives in Barcelona where he owns a studio.

Through his experience in the field of sculpture, he examines every detail of the body. The use of Bronze, which he considers the most noble material, was inherited by the old masters. Olivier Chalmin gives great importance to the work with patina which plays with the light of the piece. He admits a limitless admiration for Greek sculptors, such as Auguste Rodin, Camille Claudel, Giacometti, Germaine Richier... For him, the body is a vector of states of mind, the inner thoughts, which he tries to transmit to the viewer. Adding colors and actual topics to his bronzes allows the artist to give a new dimension to a classical creation. His work therefore creates an interaction with the viewer. His favorite subjects are based on the human body, the environment, the sport of his region ( Basque ball, rugby and golf...). The works of the artist aims for purity and formal simplicity. He shapes an emblematic character "Oscar", a being without age, nationality, race, only an epoc and universal. A real silent witness, he does not judge but reflects about the world that surround us, art, the human condition, dailylife, the past and the future...