HOMMAGE À ACTÉON

01.01 - 31.01.2016

A famous mythological figure, grandson of Apollo on his father’s side, Actaeon was reared by the centaur Chiron who taught him the art of hunting. One day while lost in the woods, he happens upon Diana bathing naked in a spring. The wrathful goddess turns him into a stag that is torn to pieces by his hounds. The hounds, searching in vain for their master, arrive at the cave of Chiron, who consoles them by sculpting the likeness of Actaeon.

Long a popular theme throughout the history of art for Titian, Jan Wierix, Giuseppe Cesari, Franc?ois Boucher, Louis- Robert Carrier-Belleuse and Camille Corot among others, Actaeon remains a source of inspiration for many 20th century artists such as Jean Cocteau, André Arbus, Janine Janet, Paul Howard Manship and Pierre Klossowski.

Simone Crestani brings us today a new illustration of the myth: five glass sculptures crowned with impressive deer antlers. Four bear a stylized image of the face of Actaeon, an abstract figure in sandblasted glass. The fifth sculpture’s face is realistic, like a self-portrait.

Alexandre Biaggi was instantly captivated by Simone Crestani’s work: “I like his dreamlike universe, reminiscent of Jean Cocteau, but most fascinating is while glass usually symbolizes fragility and transparence, Simone Crestani’s sculptures are powerful and mysterious, strong and strange. This combination is deeply moving.”

Equally remarkable is the technical prowess required by such glass sculptures. Simone Crestani’s know-how is singular; he works alone in his Venetian studio. Glass is blown, then shaped by hand using jacks. His sculptures are unique, signed pieces much sought-after by collectors.