FROM COMPAGNONS DU DEVOIR TO NEW YORK GALLERIES
France – Paris
United States – New York
Pierre Yves Guenec was born in Nantes in 1990. Here, he evolved in a world that blended the arts, literature and spirituality. After a spell at the Ateliers de Sèvres and the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts, he realised that theoretical training was not enough for him. Attracted by the world of materials, he turned to the decorative arts. In 2015, he was awarded the title of Compagnon du Devoir. This trajectory was confirmed the following year, when he became national secretary for locksmiths, metalworkers and foundrymen for three years.
Then it was off to the Ateliers Saint Jacques, a venerable institution well known to those familiar with the world of heritage restoration and contemporary architecture, but also to the artistic scene thanks to the Fonderie de Coubertin, for its bronze and repoussé metal workshops. Here, he officiates for the biggest names in design and architecture, collaborating with international galleries and developing the institution in the United States.
With a foot on both sides of the Atlantic, in 2022 he launches his own studio in Paris and New York. His proposition? To approach our worlds from a spiritual perspective and “transfigure materials to reveal their beauty”.
Through his practice of design, but also scenography, artistic creation and interior architecture, this creative spirit takes to heart “the uses and archetypes; the immanence of objects, the impact of spaces and the power of symbols”, in order to invent “the language of a future conducive to the blossoming of being”.
Always strongly attached to his first love, craftsmanship, he entrusts his creations to the finest French and European artisans, whose skills trigger his imagination. As a result, all his collections are co-signed by the studio and the craftsmen who worked on them.
Among the little wonders in his repertoire is “Rocky”. It’s the first table to come out of the studio,” explains the designer. It came after months and months of research, years of work. When it was published, I lost a very close friend, Rocky Lafleur, who had helped me enormously, so this first piece is dedicated to him. Carved from a single block of marble, precious, whole, all curves and yet very geometric, it reminded me of Rocky.”
Don’t miss “Tower of Babel”, “a modular lamp concept based on this Old Testament myth which, in addition to being dear to the Compagnons of which I’m a part, is also an ode to cultural diversity. There’s a very clear link in the Old Testament between the word and light. So, I thought it would be interesting to transpose this concept into a lamp, with each module recalling a language, and therefore a culture. And the more languages there are, the more light there is.” A talent to watch.
Lisa Agostini