Michel Gerard (Paris, 1938 – )
It was his friend and critic Pierre Restany who proposed Michel Gerard’s participation in the Environmental Collection. The relationship between the Gori Collection, the French artist and his companion, the poet-artist Marina Temkina, was based on a shared passion for sculpture and poetry, which generated a fruitful and affectionate bond.
During his career, Gerard returned several times to the figure and works of Leonardo, and from the moment he arrived in Santomato, he was fascinated by his proximity to Vinci. Indeed, for his work for Celle, he was inspired by the drawings that the Renaissance genius dedicated to the behaviour of water. With regard to the materials for the creation of the work, the bronze and aluminium components are readily available, but the weatherproof glass is specially cut from industrial products by the Saint Gobain company. In 1992, Gerard paid homage to his friends in Celle with an artist’s book in cardboard, an edition of 120 copies made entirely by hand, celebrating the Cellsmic work executed two years earlier.
A few years later, the sculpture Tectonic arrived in the Collection, related to the theme of the outdoor work but installed in the farm’s spaces.
