Two sculptures at the FIAC contemporary art show in Paris from October 20 to 23, both inspired by the electric urban quadricycle, Twizy, and created by contemporary artist Jean-Luc Moulène are exhibiting by Chantal Crousel gallery.
"Body" and "Body versus Twizy" pay homage to the vehicle and its styling.
With an art collection of more than 300 pieces, Renault is renewing its tradition as a patron to the arts.
"Twizy and Body are the results of a thought process. Their common aim is revealed in their shape. Both of them dare to assume a certain form and innovation – the meeting ground between the technological study of Twizy and the artistic intuition of Body" -Jean-Luc Moulène.
Body and Body versus Twizy
Much as Renault gets its inspiration for new vehicles from observing lifestyles, the artist Jean-Luc Moulène draws on everyday life, revealing its innate beauty and poetry by asking questions, by looking at it in a new way and shifting conventional viewpoints. With "Body" and "Body versus Twizy", the artist's aim is to give mobility the visibility it deserves.
"Body" is made of 12 sides created by 11 randomly shaped cuts. Each part is painted in gradations of the three primary colors, with each hue fading into white. "Body versus Twizy", made of the same materials, has six sides generated by five cuts – this time precise and specific – from the Renault Twizy body. The six sides are painted in matte, gloss and opalescent black.
After their stop-off at the FIAC, the two sculptures will journey around the world, making appearances at the biggest contemporary art shows, including in New York, Madrid, London, etc...
Renault and art
Well before the enthusiasm for contemporary art shown today by major companies, Renault started working to help artists in their creative endeavors back in the early 1970s. The company provided technical resources, industrial materials and head office premises to the likes of Arman, Dubuffet, Rauschenberg, Tinguely, Takis, Sotto, Erro and Vasarely so that they could produce in situ works.
"The Collection is part of the company's considerable heritage. It is part of Renault history and art history. As such, it plays a unifying and exemplary role, in a context where Art and Enterprise come together. It contributes to the image and reputation of the company in France and worldwide." Ann Hindry, curator of the Renault Art Collection.
Jean-Luc Moulène
Contemporary artist Jean-Luc Moulène was born in Reims in 1955 and has lived and worked in Paris since 1975. After studying fine arts in Versailles, he obtained a Masters in Plastic Arts from Université Paris 1 in 1979. He worked as artistic adviser for the Thomson group for ten years and in 1989 decided to focus on creative activities. After teaching at Ecole Nationale de Communication d'Art et de Design de Nancy, Ecole Supérieure Art et Design d'Amiens and Ecole d'Art de Grenoble, he left academia in 1999 to work exclusively on his art. His body of work is incredibly diverse, ranging from drawings, paintings, photographs and posters to brochures, books and sculptures.
Ann Hindry
Ann Hindry is an art historian and critic. She was chief editor of Artstudio until 1992 and has published numerous essays on modern and contemporary art. Currently curator of the Renault Collection, she divides her time between her writing and promoting the Collection worldwide.
Chantal Crousel Gallery is represented Jean-Luc Moulène in France for more than ten years.
Since it was established in 1980 the Chantal Crousel gallery has been unveiling the work of artists of highly diverse origin to the French and international art world of collectors and institutions. These artists share in common the exploration and a revelation of the essential values that underlie contemporary society. Each of them draws from their particular cultural heritage to develop their direction and a visual language that is both powerful and universal. The majority of these artists are now present in the most important collections. After 10 years of activity at the heart of the gallery, Niklas Svennung, the son and associate of Chantal Crousel, opens a second space in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. This space is an extension of the principal operations of the gallery applied to a different space.
The Chantal Crousel gallery represents its artists in the principal art fairs: Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, FIAC, Art Dubai, Hong Kong Art Fair, Frieze Art Fair, Artissima.
