Quentin Garel
Born in Paris in 1975, Quentin Garel graduated from the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris in 1998. He subsequently lived at the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid from 1998 to 2000.
His sculptural practice, encompassing bronze, iron, wood and porcelain, is characterized by the creation of a singular and poetic bestiary, oscillating between meticulous realism and representations reduced to their essential forms, sometimes all the way to the skeletal state.
Through this ever-evolving bestiary, Quentin Garel explores the boundaries between the living and the dead, the natural and the artificial, the monumental and the absurd. His sculptures engage with our imagination and collective memory, transforming the animal into an object of contemplation, inquiry and, at times, irony.
Works
Arche des abysses H. 6M
Poisson télescope
Ark of the Abyss H. 330cm
GORILLA H.250cm
Tentacule H.4M
Autruche
Gorilla H.150cm
Big Bird
Biography
Born in Paris in 1975, Quentin Garel graduated from the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris in 1998. He subsequently lived at the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid from 1998 to 2000.
His sculptural practice, encompassing bronze, iron, wood and porcelain, is characterized by the creation of a singular and poetic bestiary, oscillating between meticulous realism and representations reduced to their essential forms, sometimes all the way to the skeletal state.
For several years, Garel has developed a body of work around the figure of the trophy, which he subverts with humour and irony in order to question the relationship between humans and animals:
“For several years, I have developed a body of sculptural work using various wood assemblages around the theme of the trophy—a proud human tradition that I seek to divert towards animals destined for consumption, exposing the absurdity of this practice. I extended this theme through cast iron, which gives it a more monumental dimension and opens it outwards. Such a piece can, for example, use a garden as its pedestal, creating the impression that it partially emerges through the surface of the earth, like the remains of an ancient past rising to the surface.”
Born in Paris in 1975, Quentin Garel graduated from the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris in 1998. He subsequently lived at the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid from 1998 to 2000.
His sculptural practice, encompassing bronze, iron, wood and porcelain, is characterized by the creation of a singular and poetic bestiary, oscillating between meticulous realism and representations reduced to their essential forms, sometimes all the way to the skeletal state.
For several years, Garel has developed a body of work around the figure of the trophy, which he subverts with humour and irony in order to question the relationship between humans and animals:
“For several years, I have developed a body of sculptural work using various wood assemblages around the theme of the trophy—a proud human tradition that I seek to divert towards animals destined for consumption, exposing the absurdity of this practice. I extended this theme through cast iron, which gives it a more monumental dimension and opens it outwards. Such a piece can, for example, use a garden as its pedestal, creating the impression that it partially emerges through the surface of the earth, like the remains of an ancient past rising to the surface.”
An accomplished draughtsman, Garel develops his sculptures on paper before bringing them into three-dimensional form. Drawings, sketches and preparatory studies therefore play an essential role in his creative process and regularly accompany his sculpture exhibitions.
Beginning in 2009, following a commission for the new Jardin des Plantes in Lille, his bestiary expanded to include animals from the savannah and the jungle. The city commissioned him to create a series of trophies forming a monumental fountain, Allée des Têtes Cracheuses. The project took the form of a veritable Baroque, playful and generous Noah’s Ark, populated by exotic animals.
The preparatory studies—both sculptures and drawings—devoted to these animals subsequently became the subject of several exhibitions in Paris, Rouen, Épinal, Bologna and Milan. Giraffes, hippopotamuses, turtles, frogs, crocodiles, chimpanzees, ostriches and other creatures gradually joined and enriched his bestiary.
At the same time, Garel has remained committed to his early interests. He continues to explore the themes of the skeleton and the animal remains, notably through the creation of sheep and orca skulls, as well as the skulls of birds such as albatrosses and flamingos.
His career has also developed through numerous public and private commissions, including projects for the Haute-Normandie region and for the Carpe Diem Tower in La Défense, commissioned by Aviva. At the same time, his work has gained an international presence, particularly in the United States, where he has developed an artistic presence in New York and Houston.
Through this ever-evolving bestiary, Quentin Garel explores the boundaries between the living and the dead, the natural and the artificial, the monumental and the absurd. His sculptures engage with our imagination and collective memory, transforming the animal into an object of contemplation, inquiry and, at times, irony.
Exhibitions
Videos
Vidéo
Sculpture Garden • Arche aquatique
Vidéo
Monumental • Jardin de sculptures
Vidéo
Dado • Quentin Garel
Vidéo
MONOZYGOTES
Vidéo
Dans l’atelier de Quentin Garel
Career
Solo exhibitions
2024
Dans la forêt lointaine, Galerie LJ, Paris
2023
Monozygotes, Galerie Loft, Paris, France
In the flesh, Cuturi Gallery, Cromwell Place, Londres, Royaume-Uni
Histoire d’une collection – Quentin Garel, Galerie de Vos, Paris, France
Quentin Garel – Solo Exhibition, Curator: Galerie Bayart, Musée Antoine Vivenel, Compiègne (60), France
Quentin Garel: History of a Collection, Retrospective of Works from the Patrice Peltier Collection, Galerie Jacques de Vos, Paris, France
Solo exhibitions
2024
Dans la forêt lointaine, Galerie LJ, Paris
2023
Monozygotes, Galerie Loft, Paris, France
In the flesh, Cuturi Gallery, Cromwell Place, Londres, Royaume-Uni
Histoire d’une collection – Quentin Garel, Galerie de Vos, Paris, France
Quentin Garel – Solo Exhibition, Curator: Galerie Bayart, Musée Antoine Vivenel, Compiègne (60), France
Quentin Garel: History of a Collection, Retrospective of Works from the Patrice Peltier Collection, Galerie Jacques de Vos, Paris, France
2022
Mascarard, Galerie Municipale de Grande Synthe, France
‘En chair et en os’, Pigment Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
Galerie Robespierre – Gallery – Grande-Synthe Municipal Gallery (59)
Knokke, Piretti Art Gallery
2021
Cuturi Gallery, ‘Anomal’ – Solo show, Singapour, Malaisie
Galerie L J exposition Quentin Garel « Masquarades », Paris, France
2020
Anomal, Domaine de Chamarande, France
Solo Exhibition, Galerie Forni, Bologna, Italy
Art Madrid, Madrid – Represented by Galerie LJ
Arte Fiera Bologna, Bologna – Represented by Galleria Forni
BRAFA, Brussels – Curator Patrice Trigano
2019
Quentin Garel – Retrospective Exhibition, Matmut Contemporary Art Center, Saint-Pierre-de-Varengeville, France
Anima artificialis, Galerie Cuturi, Singapore
2018
Monumentalis, Galerie LJ @ Espace Commines, Paris, France
Solo Show, Galerie Bayart, Le Touquet, France
2017
Beauty and the Beast, Palazzo Tiepolo Passi, Venice, Italy
En chair et en os, Got Gallery, Montreal, Canada
2016
Le Magicien d’Os, National Museum of Natural History – Paleontology Gallery, Paris, France
2015
Sur la piste des grands singes, Museum of Natural History, Great Gallery of Evolution, Paris, France
Galerie LJ, Paris, France
Galerie Mazel, Brussels, Belgium
2014
Bestiary, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York, USA
2013
Gueules de bois, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New-York, USA
2012
Gremilion Gallery, Houston, USA
LJ Gallery, Paris, France
Mazel Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
Haute-Normandie Regional Council Building, Rouen, France
2011
Departmental Museum of Saint-Riquier Abbey, Somme, France
One Man Show, Élysée Paris, Galerie L.J., France
Saint-Riquier, Somme, Departmental Museum of the Abbey of Saint-Riquier, France
2010
Forni Gallery, Bologna, Italy
L.J. Gallery, Paris, France
2009
Drawings and Sculptures, Galerie L.J., Paris, France
Drawings and Sculptures, Galleria Forni, Milan, Italy
2007
Poggi Palace, Bologna, Italy
2006
Preparatory Studies, Galerie RL Beaubourg, Paris, France
2005
Trofei, Galleria Forni, Bologna, Italy
2004
Trophies, Galerie RL Beaubourg, Paris, France
2003
Collections of Saint-Cyprien, France
2002
Trophies, Galerie Vent d’Ocres, Paris, France
Group exhibitions (selection)
2026
Narratives, Galerie Loft, Paris, France
2025
Monumental, Sculpture Garden, Galerie Loft, Fourges, France
2024
Duo Exhibition with Dado, Galerie Loft, Paris, France
2023
‘Anima(l): la fusion des êtres‘ – Group exhibition of works selected from the Essonne Departmental Contemporary Art Fund, Château du Val Fleury, Gif-sur-Yvette (91), France
Duo Performance with Laurent Chéhère, Galleria Forni, Bologna, Italy
Regards croisés, curator: Pascal Bouchaille, Maison Galerie Laurence Pustetto, Libourne (33), France
2022
Galerie Bayart, Château du Plessis-Brion, Compiègne – Sculptures: Park and Castle” – Group Exhibition
Art Madrid, Madrid – Represented by Galerie LJ
Arte Fiera, Bologna – Represented by Galleria Forni
2016
Art Zoo, Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
2014
Art up, Galerie Mazel, Lille Grand Palais, Lille, France
Galerie L.J, Paris, France
ME.NE.SA ART Singapore Art Fair, Mazel Galerie, Singapore
2013
Soon, Mazel Galerie, Brussels, Belgium
2012
Art Paris Art Fair, Galerie Mazel, Paris, France
Lille Art Fair, Galerie Mazel, Lille, France
Group Exhibition, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York, USA
Tensions, Galerie Mazel, Brussels, Belgium
Art Ghent, Mazel Galerie Ghent, Belgium
2011
Lille Art Fair, Mazel Gallery, Lille, France
Remix, Mazel Gallery, Brussels, France
Chic Art Fair, Mazel Gallery, Paris, France
Art Elysées, L.J. Gallery, Paris, France
Zoo O Logis, Mazel Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
LINEART, Mazel Gallery, Ghent, Belgium
2010
Art Paris + Guest, Forni Gallery, Paris, France
19, Mazel Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2009
2nd Yerres Sculpture Biennial (91), Caillebotis Estate, France
2007
First Sculpture Biennial, Caillebotis Estate, Yerres (91), France
4th Contemporary Art Biennial, Jacques Prévert Cultural Center, Aixe-sur-Vienne (87), France
Il Settimo Splendeur. The modernity of the Malinconia, Palace F
2005
Salon de Mai, Paris, France
Le cochon, portrait d’un séducteur, Abbaye de Saint-Riquier (Somme), France
2004
Animalia, Galleria Forni, Milan, Italy
2003
Animal et Territoire, Jardins du Luxembourg, Paris, France
2002
Salon d’art contemporain de Montrouge, France
2000
Encuentro, Casa Velazquez, Madrid, Spain
Institut de France, Paris, France
Centre Culturel Garenne Lemot, Gétigné, France
1999
Centro Cultural del Conde Duque, Madrid, Spain
Casa Velazquez, Madrid, Spain
Institut de France, Paris, France
1996
Art Institute of Chicago, USA
FOIRES
2020
Art Madrid, Représenté par Galerie LJ, Madrid, Spain
2011
Elysée Paris, Paris, Galerie L.J., Paris, France
Lille Art Fair, Mazel Galerie, Belgium
Foire de Boulgne, Galerie Forni, Italy
2010
Elysée Paris, Galerie L.J., Paris, France
Foire de Boulgne, Galerie Forni, Italy
2009
Art Paris, représenté par Galleria Forni, Paris, France
Arte Fiera, représenté par Galleria Forni, Bologna, Italy
2008
Arte Fiera, représenté par Galleria Forni, Bologna, Italy
2007
Arte Fiera, représenté par Galleria Forni, Bologna, Italy
2006
Art Paris, représenté par Galerie RL Beaubourg, Paris, France
2005
Art Paris, représenté par Galerie RL Beaubourg, Paris, France
Arte Fiera, représenté par Galleria Forni, Bologna, Italy
2004
Art Paris, représenté par Galerie RL Beaubourg, Paris, France
2003
Arte Fiera, représenté par Galleria Forni, Bologne, Italy
Art Paris, représenté par Galerie RL Beaubourg, Paris, France
2002
Art Paris, représenté par Galerie RL Beaubourg, Paris, France
Public commission
2025
Fontaines aux animaux, Parc du Léman, Thonon-les-Bains, France
2020
Gorille monumental,Fonds départemental d’art contemporain de l’Essonne (91), France
2019
Commission for a fish fountain, Arpajon town center, France
Girolles, commission for monumental sculptures, Parc du Champ des Bruyères, Rouen, France
2013
Commission for a frog fountain, Place de la Paix, Mulhouse, France
2012
Arbranimal, Pôle Régional des Savoirs, Rouen, France
Commissioned by the Haute-Normandie Region, France
2007-2009
Creation of a fountain consisting of about fifteen sculptures for the New Municipal Gardens of Lille, France
2006
Creation of a series of monumental sculptures for the Parc du Chemin de l’Ile, Nanterre, France
Grants, awards, and residences
2004
Sculpture Prize, Salon de Mai, Paris, France
2003
Drawing Prize, Academy of Fine Arts, Paris 2002; Sculpture Prize, COFFIM Foundation, Paris, France
2002
Sculpture Prize, Montrouge Contemporary Art Fair 2001, France
23rd Monte Carlo International Contemporary Art Prize, France
1999-2000
Resident and member of the artistic section of Casa Velázquez, Madrid, Spain
1995
Drawing Prize, Academy of Fine Arts, Paris, France
News
Cet épisode de Terra Artistika, offre une immersion captivante dans l’univers de l’artiste contemporain Quentin Garel, nous dévoilant sa méthode de travail ainsi que certaines de ses œuvres.
For the first time in the Galleries of Comparative Anatomy and Paleontology, sculptor Quentin Garel presents twelve works with unexpected proportions and materials, a contemporary take on classical animal sculpture.
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500.00€