" Child prodigy the the painting "
" genius the the color "
The auction house Marc Labarbe had the honor to welcome from 9 to 17 June 2017 an exhibition dedicated to the works of Flore SIGRIST, a young Franco-Swiss artist born in Strasbourg in 1985.
An early artist
Flore started painting large format paintings at the age of 7. Hospitalized during her early childhood, the girl who had trouble communicating with the outside managed to make this medium his means of expression.
Barely 20 years old, in 2006, she was chosen to create the fresco of the façade of the Council of Europe. Secretary General Terry Davis said at the inauguration in October 2010: "This mural is not intended to hide the facade of the Council of Europe. It's an adrenaline rush that reminds us of what we must always strive for - to be creative, energetic and free. "
A dazzling success
Since then, from Strasbourg to Tokyo, through London, Miami or Monaco, his canvases now reach a large audience "The strength of his work lies in the fact that his writing is found in different cultures of the world, as in Africa or Asia, "enthuses his father. His works are now sought by international collectors and institutions such as FRAC Alsace. The young woman receives in the catalog of the sale the praises of the vicepresident of Sotheby's France, Alain Renner, who wrote in particular: "She refuses any fashion and any concession. Its whirlwinds of forms and colors contrast calmness and immobility with the frenzy of the gesture. It's a staging where she reinvents every element. There is a constant challenge in every work. Flore Sigrist does not only use an abstract vocabulary, as evidenced by her series of "Barbie" where she hijacks the famous doll to express according to Pascal Neveux, director of FRAC Provence-Alpes-Côte-D'azur.
A strong presence in the international market of contemporary painting since 2011
Years 2011 and 2012: SIGRIST is the second most popular artist under 30 years of contemporary painting - Artprice.
While his work was devoid of any auction, two of his creations of 2010, were met with great success in 2011 during their passage in the auction as part of a program of contemporary art. They far exceeded the estimates in the catalog, the acrylic on canvas culminating at € 72,000 and the other, smaller (150 x 150 cm) pocketing € 44,000.
March 2013: A 150 x 150 cm 1998 work by the artist was sold at € 104,000 at an auction organized by Sotheby's New York.
Artprice's "Top 500 Contemporary Artists" ranking in 2013 includes six French artists: Robert Combas, Philippe Pasqua, Richard Orlinsky, Bernard Frieze, Flore Sigrist and Jacques Tardi.
Flora Sigrist is the only French woman to be included in this ranking (at 458th place)
Exhibition at the Monaco Sporting Club in December 1995. 10-year-old SIGRIST flora surrounded by Prince Rainier and Prince Albert.
interview
Alain Renner
Commissioner-Priseur since 1974, former Vice-President of Sotheby's France and European Director of Sotheby's Europe, Alain RENNER has accepted to play the interview, answering the questions of Camille Chabroux, auctioneer in the auction house Marc Labarbe.
CC. Mr. Renner, your name comes up very often when an exhibition is devoted to SIGRIST. What role do you play alongside him?
AR. I do not think I'm his mentor or his godfather, but I have been following his work and defending him since 1995. I am also become his agent since this year 2017 and now organizes its exhibitions.
CC. Do you remember your feelings and thoughts when you saw for the 1era once a work of SIGRIST?
AR. This was a shock, especially to think that it was the work of a 10-year-old child. Everything was already in place for a great work: superb color relationships, respect of the golden ratio, dimensions of the paintings.
CC. How do you explain the spectacular success of SIGRIST and the rise of its rating on the auction market?
AR. Only by quality of its work and the confidence that international collectors place in it.
CC. SIGRIST fits you according to you in a step resolutely innovative or finally, can we say that it is a young woman at ease with its time which is in the line of the painters of the lyrical abstraction?
AR. It's a bit of all of this because it resolutely fits in its time while creating novelty with each work with a conductive thread which makes it possible to immediately recognize one of his paintings. She actually works completely in an approach of lyrical abstraction.
CC. How has SIGRIST's work evolved from its beginnings to the present day (it's been more than 20 years!)?
AR. His work evolved towards more maturity, more strength in setting up and in technique. All this is currently perfectly controlled to make a synthesis at once constructed, often joyful.
CC. Do you think that the significant prices that have reached some of his works auction will be maintained or go up, or is it rather a fad?
AR. I think that prices should continue to rise as demand is high, and I foresee for her many international exhibitions, in USA, China, Switzerland, England as well as a big retrospective. All this should contribute to the development of the market of Flore SIGRIST's work.
Interview and article written by Camille Chabroux