“LE MAGICIEN D’OS” (The Bone Magician)- SCULPTURES at the National Museum of Natural History

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. Extending into the pathways of the Jardin des Plantes, this exhibition, conceived for the Museum, brings together the artist’s masterpieces and new creations.

The exhibition “The Bone Magician” arose from a shared interest between the Museum and the artist in the intersections and connections between scientific disciplines and artistic practices, as well as a common interest in natural history. Indeed, Quentin Garel’s sculptural work revolves around two themes: the animal trophy and the paleontological relic. His work offers a glimpse into the complex relationship between humans and animals through their representation. The artist invites the public to experience something new: the discovery of sculptures, of skulls emerging from the ghostly herd within the Galleries. The sheer size and choice of materials lend the works a totemic dimension.

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. Extending into the pathways of the Jardin des Plantes, this exhibition, conceived for the Museum, brings together the artist’s masterpieces and new creations.

The exhibition “The Bone Magician” arose from a shared interest between the Museum and the artist in the intersections and connections between scientific disciplines and artistic practices, as well as a common interest in natural history. Indeed, Quentin Garel’s sculptural work revolves around two themes: the animal trophy and the paleontological relic. His work offers a glimpse into the complex relationship between humans and animals through their representation. The artist invites the public to experience something new: the discovery of sculptures, of skulls emerging from the ghostly herd within the Galleries. The sheer size and choice of materials lend the works a totemic dimension.

Quentin Garel shapes wood, bronze, and cast iron, bringing delicacy and originality to the textures and immensity to the monumental dimensions of his pieces. He surprises viewers with the shifts in scale of some of his sculptures: a cat skull weighing 80 kilograms, a flamingo skull measuring over 4 meters, and a vertebra of extraordinary proportions emerging from the earth! The exhibition will also feature one of the artist’s previously unseen large-format preparatory drawings, his sketches being an integral part of his creative process.