Thirst, 2021, Straw marqueterie wheel carried by three ostriches in gilt bronze, Lignereux photo Luca Fascini

I met Gonzague Mézin years ago at an exhibition of his works at MAD within the fabulous show of Pierre Gouthière‘s gilt bronze objects and furniture. This young man (he turned 40 the day after his opening), has revived the art of gilt bronze with contemporary creations like straw marqueterie, “luminophilie”, ceramics and lacquer. His precious exhibition at Espace Muraille in Geneva presents artifacts as if they were jewelry or clockwork and where else but in Switzerland could he reach the right public?

Chrysalis, 1 and 2, 2021, with Xavier le Normand, glass blower, and Thierry Toutin “luminophile”

There is magic in Gonzague Mézin’s art and he has managed to collaborate with extraordinary artisans such as Thierry Toutin a lighting artist, who has transformed most pieces into enchanted works. Whether he uses it on the blue straw “marqueterie” of “Thirst” or on “Doom 1”, a sculpture with three dolphins, or on “Consent”, a porcelain pair of hands created by Samuel Yal, the lighting is instrumental in every installation as if it were a play staged by Bob Wilson. I was particularly intrigued by his “Chrysalis” lamps which are in dark pink glass but turn green when lit. In “Voices”, porcelain flames erupt from a bronze tower where the relationship between ceramics and bronze is reversed. It is one of my favorite pieces.

Gonzague Mézin explaining the human fragility contained in “Voices” (The Kubla Khan series), 2017

In 2016, Gonzague Mézin bought back Lignereux, a decorative art house created in 1781, to whom Marie Antoinette trusted her personal collection in August 1789, in order to preserve it from vandalism in the Revolution. King George IV and Czar Paul I of Russia bought furniture and objects from them. Moïse de Camondo was one of their customers in the XX th century and many of their creations are kept in Versailles, the Metropolitan Museum, the V&A and the Queen’s Royal collections…

“Blast” (Important Nothings), 2021, Lignereux  with Solyfonte, Xavier le Normand (glass blower) and Thierry Toutin (lights)

Each piece has a story, whether it is inspired by historical moments such as the three Parcae of Roman mythology, or by animals, like the chrysalis present on old Lignereux furniture or by a huge life shock (Blast) he underwent.The artist works with genius artisans, gilders and metal sculptors, lighting specialists, marble cutters and glass blowers.

Consent (Important Nothings), Lignereux 2021 with Samuel Yan ceramist and Thierry Toutin, luminophile

To echo his creations, Espace Muraille is exhibiting a rare private Swiss collection of XVIII th century porcelains adorned with bronze. This juxtaposition of the old and the new, questions the relevance of creating such artisanal artifacts in our high tech world of the XXI st century. Throughout the show you can also smell fragrances created especially by Parfums Henry Jacques, who wanted to catch the different moods of the objects. Present internationally, this perfume creator, is opening a new shop in Paris at 2 avenue Montaigne next month.

Mighty Fountain, (The Kubla Khan Series), Lignereux with Tanya Gomez ceramist, 2017-2022 © Espace Muraille, Luca Fascini

One of the “Mighty Fountains” had already been shown at MAD in 2017 but here, the seven pieces shown together produce a strong effect with the vases in diverse celadon shades by British ceramist Tanya Gomez and the bamboo shapes inspired by Marie-Antoinette’s aiguières.

Espace Muraille, which is very near the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, is housed in Hotel de Thellusson and belongs to the Freymond family. It  has previously exhibited Sheila Hicks, Edmund de Waal and Olafur Eliasson among many creative artists and will have a Bob Wilson show starting in May.

Gonzague Mézin’s precious objects for Lignereux sell for 30 000 to 175 000€.