Born in 1971, this Spanish artist is an internationally recognized conceptual sculptor who revisits in his work missing architectural elements. His works integrate different techniques. He has a worldwide reputation thanks to the installation of monumental sculptures in public space, his « Urban Memories » which occupy sites of historical importance left vacant (Berlin, Miami, Seoul, Venice, Washington, …).
Juan Garaïzabal works by hand, using skills acquired over the years: foundry, carpentry, electricity, masonry and plastic arts.
During the elaboration of his last series of works, based on the study of the disappearance of Chicago’s Grand Central Station, the Artist also recurrently revisits the Palais des Tuileries, an emblematic monument in the History of France built in 1564 at the instigation of Catherine de Medici on the site of a former tile factory. Enlarged under successive reigns, it had an imposing 266 m long façade and an Italian garden, the current Tuileries garden. It was the royal residence of sovereigns and illustrious emperors (including Louis XVI and Napoleon I). During the Commune, the Palace was taken over by the communards and became the scene of their celebrations, then they voluntarily set fire to it on 23 May 1871. The ruins were finally demolished in 1883.
Juan is currently working on the works he will present at the Art Paris Artfair and the Fiac 2020, revisited architectural elements formerly present in the Palais des Tuileries and its gardens. Several sculptures recreate fragments of the façade of the Palais, decorative fragments of the garden (such as the Vases), and objects from the interior furniture, in particular lamps. For these works, Juan combines stainless steel lines with blown glass or white concrete for the volumes. You will discover studies that shed light on the research and memory work carried out by the Artist.
The combination of the structural elements of the Palace, its exteriors and interiors form the « Memoria Urbana des Tuileries », paying homage to the city of Paris: its history and unique urban architecture composed of scattered perspectives and fragments creating a common vision.
Enjoy your visit.