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Heavy Metal
The artist GUILLAUME PIÉCHAUD lives and works in northern Paris.
With the help of his team, objects and furniture are created in his studio,
in which art and design seem to melt into one another. In this way, his
works become an organic whole
How did your artistic career begin?
I grew up in an artistic environment. My father is a painter and
engraver. It is thanks to him that I underwent training at the École
Boulle in Paris after finishing school. You must remember that this
school was founded by Louis XIV. All of the craftsman’s techniques
for working metal and wood have been taught there for centuries.
From 1985 to 1988 I learned about engraving precious metals and
after that I worked for years for several big Paris jewellers, particularly
Goosens. I developed prototypes for pieces of jewellery and
was also involved in the world of haute couture. It was a world of
luxury, but also of hard work.
Where did you go from there? How did you move from the meticulous
detail work of jewellery to making furniture?
In my spare time, after I had finished working for the day at the jewellers,
I experimented with the »rubbish« that I had collected from
my work, and started off by developing lamps and lights made out
of metal. Engraving was the crucial skill that turned a plain piece of
metal into an interesting lamp. Through the engraving, shapes and
shadows were cast on the wall. It was very graphical work.
That sounds very experimental. Were you looking for freedom and
release from a given frame of reference?
Yes, of course. For me it was a revolt against the world of luxury.
The desire to make something new, something valuable from »rubbish«.
It was very important for me to find my own language, to go
my own way.
How did you manage to take that step in the end?
I didn’t want to go into painting – my father was already doing that
INTERVIEW Ute Weingarten FOTO Marc Martinon / Patrick Valero
– so I developed a sort of haute couture for furniture. In this way, I
was able to combine technical skills with art. It was important for
me to develop something tactile. It has something to do with eroticism.
The design of surfaces, the mystery of creating an object and
letting someone discover it.
How do you see the development of the art and design market
that has virtually exploded in the last couple of years?
I have dealers who attend fairs and salons. They are real nomads
who go wherever an interested clientele is expected. There is a lot
of trash, but quality always asserts itself.
My objects are one-off, signed and dated. My buyers are collectors
who value my objects and furniture. The exploration that takes
place with these people is intense and enriching for both sides.
You have a German gallery owner, Marion Meyer, who also has
showrooms in Paris and Frankfurt, and you are married to a native
of Hamburg. What are your views on Berlin?
Berlin is an inspiring city. It is probably the only city in Germany
that I would describe as a metropolis and I could imagine living in. I
have been to Berlin four times in the last year and I’m always happy
to come back. It is a city of improvisation but unlike, say, Barcelona,
it exudes a certain air of rationality and sobriety as well.
What projects are you working on at present?
I’m working on a couple of public space projects in France. I believe
it is very important that artists and architects work more together
again. That was historically the case and it is fundamental to
our present. Intelligent projects can revitalize entire urban districts.
I see this an important task and a special challenge.