Hervé WAHLEN (Born in 1957) - Plant II

Totemic copperware sculpture, covered with a partially gilded patina, and made of the superposition of half capsule shaped modules. Conceived in its verticality, the piece, in which each shape is similar, is rhythmed, by the alternating of patina colours subtlely used, like the shades of celadon, green, brown, reddish brown, ochre, and even yellow and white gold leaf for some. A clear harmony emerges from the piece, caused by the repeated shapes combined with the delicate compromise between balance and instability.

Unique piece, signed and dated 2017.

Dimensions:

Height: 33 in. Width: 3 in. Depth: 3 in.

Remarks:

Hervé Wahlen is a French sculptor born in 1957 who lives and works in Paris. After exploring verticality between 1992 and 1994 through his forged brasses, which were his first totemic pieces, Hervé Wahlen today revisits this dimension in his work, enriching it with his coppersmith craftsmanship. Made of composite elements, ‘Plant II’ is not without reference to totems, the ritual and sacred objects in Amerindian traditional societies, and thereby to Brancusi’s renowned work and research on the repetition of shapes (Endless column, 1917).