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Biography
Romain Langlois is a French artist prized by collectors for his bronze sculpture work. In his hands, this material of which he is so fond takes on a unique shape and a brilliant polished gold look. Each of Romain Langlois’ works is the fruit of a long process of research and maturation, hence why he is only able to produce a limited number of creations that are each exceptional in nature.
Romain Langlois : a self-taught artist
Romain Langlois’ work combines various explorations. His sculptures consider man’s environmental impact and provide an opportunity to consider the relationship between a piece and the space it is in: an issue raised by his previous experience. Having been employed at an architecture firm between 2000 and 2005, Romain decided to work as a sculptor to further explore the areas at which he had been looking through the lens of architecture and design projects until that point. Contemporary sculpture provided him with a framework within which his creativity could truly make sense.
Believing some theoretical training to be required, Romain Langlois did a course at the Haute Ecole des Arts du Rhin for a short time, then began teaching himself how to be an artist. Inspired by contemporary sculptors, meetings with whom have been key for him, like the Senegalese sculptor Ousmane Sow famous for his organic sculptures, he experimented in turn with clay, wood, quartz and plaster, constantly working in new ways and learning new techniques including modelling, polishing and chiselling.
Romain Langlois’ initial creations from the late 2000s had a figurative style and focused on representing the human body. Using the anatomy books which he surrounded himself with and studied closely, he continued to teach himself more and achieved technical mastery. These firm foundations encouraged him to move into abstract sculpture work, creating a series of rocks and other natural elements (including the works Space Attraction, Resonance and Container) that have met with real appreciation.
Entering the contemporary art world
Romain Langlois’ abstract bronze sculptures are now collected by art lovers and international collectors. His pieces have been sought after worldwide (in locations including North America, the Persian Gulf and Asia) since 2010. Since 2013, his works have been accepted into collections such as those of the Matmut, Fondation Bullukian and Demeure du Chaos: a contemporary art museum and the headquarters of the art market information provider Artprice.
His abstract sculptures have also been on show at several institutions. The Saint-Étienne Métropole Museum of Modern and Contempoary Art selected him in 2013 for its Local Line 12 : Paysages contemporains exhibition. In 2017, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris invited Romain Langlois to be part of the L’empreinte du geste exhibition, where he displayed two exceptional works created jointly with Eric Papon: an artist specialising in petrification techniques. This scientific process — a way of creating contemporary sculptures — allowed Romain to continue exploring techniques and provided the basis for future aesthetic investigations.
Outdoors creations
Romain Langlois has made collaboration with another a routine part of his work. In 2019, he worked with American artist Jenine Shereos on a land project in the Cassis Calanques area called “Symbiose”, which was published in Boulders magazine. This land art project followed several others of the same type, reflecting the artist’s desire to take his work outdoors.
In 2017, Romain Langlois completed an enormous piece — the biggest he has ever made — for a private Chinese patron, requiring five weeks of on-site work. This three-month project involved three huge rocks and represented a real technical challenge for the Chinese casters. The sculpture is now installed by one of the most iconic buildings in the city of Suzhou and has become a familiar sight for its four million residents.
Working across contemporary sculptures and outdoor creations, Romain Langlois continues to collaborate widely and draw on more sources of inspiration. He divides his time between France and the Greek islands, where he feeds his creative process by spending extended periods with refugees.
CV
Education
- 2000 – School of Decorative Arts, Strasbourg, France
- 1994 – 1999 : Projects management and implementation with Bruno Bourdiel Achitecture and Design in Moulins, France
Exhibitions
- 2022 : Group show “ExodeS”, Saint Raphael, France
- 2021 : Group Show « Spring show X Paris », SPRING contemporary art agency, Paris, France
- 2019: Great Opening, group show, SPRING contemporary art agency, Paris, France
- 2019 : “Symbiose” Project, Art Residency in the Calanques National Park of Cassis, France
- 2019 : Project about the sculpture “Aken”, completed with persons in exile with the association Les Utopistes en action, Morlaix, France
- 2017 : Implementation of the “Oriental Gate” in Suzhou, public procurement. Suzhou, China
- 2017 : Land’Art installation in Mingan, Canada
- 2016 : Group Show, Metamorphik Gallery, Sainte-Foy-Les-Lyon, France
- 2016 : “Cell Garden” Project, Japan, Indonésia
- 2015 : Group Show “L’empreinte du geste”, Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris, France
- 2015 : YIA Art Fair with BS gallery, Paris, France
- 2014 : Group show, “On dit que… dans la forêt”, La Plomberie, Epinal, France
- 2014 : Solo show : “La Lune en Parachute”, Epinal, France
- 2014 : Solo show “Emptiness attraction”, BS Gallery, Cannes, France
- 2014 : Solo Show, Europe Embassy, Geneva, Switzerland
- 2013 : Group show, “Local Line 12 : Contemporary Landscapes”, Museum of Modern Arts, Saint Etienne, France
- COLLECTIONS :
- OFI ollection, Matmut, Fondation Bullukian, Abode of Chaos
Articles
Serendipity, Romain Langlois’s new discovery
French artist Romain Langlois has just unveiled his last creation, Serendipity, which is both a continuation of his previous works and a break with...
An illusionist at the Decorative Arts Museum
Two of Romain Langlois' sculptures, created in collaboration with Eric Papon at The Fontaines Pétrifiantes de Saint Nectaire were on display at the...
Introducing Romain Langlois
Like a veritable alchemist, Romain Langlois alters the substance of the materials he possesses and before our eyes he puts them back, not quite the...