Bertrand Lavier

I’ve found a book about Lavier at sculpture section in library and found his work very interesting.First I was going to write about him for my 3D research but actually his work is rather conceptual.
Lavier, born in 1949, Paris.He was not formally trained in art, but studied at the School of Horticulture in Versailles. He became active as an artist in the early seventies.His early work was influenced, first experimental art of the late 60s, particularly Land Art, and then by the early 70s conceptual and behavioral art.He calls his work painting, sculpture, or both.During the early 80s he made work with everyday objects entirely covered in densely brushed paint. This made him reach a wider public. At the close of 80s Lavier was one of the most well-known French artist outside France, and he is today considered one of the most interesting and influential artists in recent decades.Acrylic painting on sail, fire extinguisher, aluminum ladder, office furniture, railing etc.

There’re different from Duchamp’s readymade like ‘Bicycle Wheel’ as the objects have not lost their original function. They’re still O.K. to use.It’s not a painting of an object on canvas but a canvas made of that object. The brush marks are deliberately left on the objects, like a detail of an expressionist’s painting. In doing so he turns the object into work of art but still shows us what they were. Covered by thick paint they look somehow vulnerable. They seem to lose an edge of a cold object.The object he paints on are like a sheet of paper we buy at shop. We don’t wonder who made the paper and just use and do whatever with it to make art. What Lavier did seems to me the same thing. It’s just our mind is sometimes too fixed that we tend to be surprised by what we see especially when its use is against to our common sense.His art is one of art work which makes me smile.He may as well be taking a piss, but it doesn’t matter to me.