about.
Artistic Approach: A Skin of Bronze and the Power of Imagination
Éric Vanel does not seek to shape forms: he establishes presences.
His figurative sculptures are figures of power. Sovereign, free, hybrid women, where the memory of ancient myths converges with the raw presence of matter. There is no compromise in his silhouettes: every posture asserts authority, menace, or raw grace.
Nourished by ancient lore and fantasy literature, the artist captures the precise moment raw clay comes to life. A fold, the tension of a muscle, the tilt of a head, the deliberate trace of the tool in the clay: everything is conceived to breathe life into the piece. The patina, ranging from glowing verdigris to deep black, does not merely dress the bronze; it reveals its lived experience.
Each work is cast using the lost-wax process, strictly limited to an edition of 8 numbered copies and 4 artist’s proofs.
Biography: The Engineer and the Medium
Behind the organic power of his bronzes lies surgical precision.
Drawing on twenty-five years in engineering, Éric Vanel commands figurative sculpture through an absolute mastery of mass mechanics, mold making, and metallurgical properties. This scientific rigor tolerates no flaws: it guarantees the work an unalterable physical presence and total archival longevity.
Trained alongside international masters of the contemporary figurative revival (including Robert Bodem, Grzegorz Gwiazda, and Brian Booth Craig), his work quickly gained international recognition, notably earning a medal at the Salon des Artistes Français at the Grand Palais in Paris and a finalist distinction at the Art Renewal Center Salon.
Held in private collections across Europe and the United States, Éric Vanel’s creations embody the tipping point where the science of materials gives way entirely to the power of the soul and the imagination.
contact.
Contact me by email ( eric.vanel@orange.fr ), by phone (+33 6 07 80 30 55) or fill the form below.
