By Françoise Le Mouëllic, a journalist

For seven years, Thierry Laudren has turned the corner. He passed from pure art to the practice of a trade. From now on, he devotes himself to his passion : the creation of artistic furniture. This art craftsman who studied at the Ecole Boulle shapes wood, oak in particular. With patience, meticulousness, he designs furniture like sculptures...Travel in the imagination.

After working for eleven years in Paris as a model maker and graphic designer for a large company that creates stands, Thierry Laudren felt like changing life and earning his living with his art. Perhaps also, this native of Pontivy (Morbihan) wanted to return to Brittany.

Living sculptures

Seven years later, he still has no show store, no distribution network, just a workshop. Exhibition after exhibition, he polishes up his creations according to the mood of the moment. His customers are collectors, art lovers, many of whom come from the artistic field. Most of his works are sold thanks to shows : "My creations are unique i.e. not more than eight copies for a model. My customers buy my furniture as it is, like a work of art. I consider it as artistic furniture. There are sculptures with a certain utility. They can be perceived as convenient living sculptures which contain some surprises."

Indeed what a pleasure it is to handle the object, to discover it, to touch it when it is a work of art!. The material is noble : oak. It is a good quality product which is easy to shape whatever the thickness. The technique that is used is very complex as it is more than ordinary sculpture. Thierry Laudren shapes, sticks, assembles, stains, polishes the wood without counting his time. He only produces 20 to 25 creations every year.

His sources of inspiration

What does this artist draw his inspiration from?
From a soft mixture of comic strips, from Dali, the painter, not to mention Austrian painters such as Schiele.
Not always so soft when one touches the drawer-woman with a vigorous design hiding funny surprises. "I can't explain my sculptures, I make them, I experience them" explains this reserved artist. Also astonishing is the name given to each sculpture : "le Grand IL de Pâques" (Easter Island), "le Gladiateur" (the "Gladiator), "l'Armoire-Taureau" the Bull wardrobe) or "la Femme-Tiroir " (the drawer-woman) which was exhibited at the 'House and Decoration Show' in Paris last September.

© Bretagne économique -A breton magazine. n°154 - FEBRUARY 2004