Caroline Corbeau, “Plume”, 2015.
Caroline Corbeau is a combination of artist, designer and blacksmith, manipulating steel and other metals into objects that provocatively walk the line between sculpture and furniture.
“This is steel, but she makes these shapes with acid and then by hand,” says Luc Merenda, owner of Galerie Minet Merenda. He doesn’t hide his enthusiasm for Corbeau’s work, which ranges from large table sets to armoires. Each have surfaces that look like they’ve been kissed by rain, but are in fact brushed steel with their undersides and interiors tactfully washed in a blood red hue.
Caroline Corbeau, “Mystère”, 2015.
While most people wouldn’t think of steel being quite so expressive as large decorative pieces, or even quite so inviting for the home, Corbeau has managed to bend, beat, submit and reduce the metal to all manner of ostensibly functional and undeniably powerful shapes.
The benches and consoles have rounded edges and bowlegged stands, with a touch of signature red on the underside, a strategy that mimics Louboutin’s famous red-bottomed heels. The edges of each table and bench zigzag or veer off unexpectedly.
Also: The Enduring Character of Hand-Carved Wood Furniture
Everything is rendered by hand, and, both visually and physically, carries a tremendous amount of weight. The armoire clocks in at around 200 kilos of hulking mass. Yet, for their daunting size, each piece is incredibly unique and eminently collectible.
“I’m a furniture creator in steel, of fundamentally one-of-a-kind pieces,” said Corbeau in a 2013 interview. “Metal is certainly a medium that’s very difficult to manipulate and turn into a work of art…But I work hard until the end.”
Galerie Minet Merenda will continue to highlight Corbeau’s one of a kind works throughout the season in its own gallery in Thoiry, France just outside of Paris.
