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Mauro Corda
Trois suricates

About the Item

Born in 1960 in Lourdes, France, Mauro Corda now works and lives in Paris. Son of a Sardinian bricklayer, he never forgot his roots and showed a great talent in drawing since he was very young. While his parents thought he was an unruly child with no skills, he was actually planning to attend the Beaux-Arts in Reims, having the strong feeling that art was his path. There, he learned about all those geniuses of the past like Donatello, Michelangelo and Luca della Robbia, as well as French sculptors like Coysevox, Houdon and Rodin. Between all the disciplines, he chose sculpture for his ability to draw and most of all for his familiarity with the material. This trait, in addition to his interest in the classical tradition, is vital in the development of his language. Indeed, the love of his youth was Michelangelo, who represented a mentor of special relevance to him: finding himself face-to-face with the great artist, he learned enough about himself to become who he is. Corda abandoned the Beaux-Art in Reims and in 1981 applied to enter the Beaux-Art in Paris, winning the first price at the age of 21. He immediately had patrons queuing up and galleries which asked him to expose his works. It was in this period, working in Jean Cardot’s studio, that he started sculpting animals: has he says, his animals are clearly portraits, but often with a symbolical or mythical dimension. It was working in Casa Velasquez that Corda became interested in the representation of the male body and in androgyny. He feels like he is creating a dual personality, an ambiguous being that won’t ever be part of the community. During the years, Corda has always remained faithful to the genre of portrait, the central theme of his work. It probes a specific moment in time, questioning all the doubts, fears and obligations surrounding it. Through his sculptures, the artist unveils the inner self of the human being in the most diverse roles, environments and situations, and in order to do it he plays with a wide range of materials. For his sculptures he employs resin, bronze, ceramic, cast iron, marble, terracotta and white bronze, a very rare technique used only by a few blacksmiths in Italy. Corda’s sculptures show his sensitivity for colors as well: he not only uses the most diverse patinas, but also applies chrome, silver, gilding and paint, to illuminate aspects of the artwork that needed to be emphasized. He refuses every kind of restraint, always trying to probe the limits of the body, both animal and human. During the years, Corda has always remained faithful to the genre of portrait, the central theme of his work. It probes a specific moment in time, questioning all the doubts, fears and obligations surrounding it. Through his sculptures, the artist unveils the inner self of the human being in the most diverse roles, environments and situations, and in order to do it he plays with a wide range of materials. For his sculptures he employs resin, bronze, ceramic, cast iron, marble, terracotta and white bronze, a very rare technique used only by a few blacksmiths in Italy. Corda’s sculptures show his sensitivity for colors as well: he not only uses the most diverse patinas, but also applies chrome, silver, gilding and paint, to illuminate aspects of the artwork that needed to be emphasized. He refuses every kind of restraint, always trying to probe the limits of the body, both animal and human. Combining his pure lines and harmonious curves inspired by the Italian Renaissance and his strong interest concerning the materials employed, he can be described as an artist who breaks the rules and shove our certainties. As they walk through his sculptures, the spectators experience a wide range of emotions: grotesque and sublime alternate and coexist as they observe nightmares, huge animals and contortionists succeeding one another. If at first the spectator feels oppressed and tense, these negative sensations are soon replaced by a smile and then by laugh. These conflicting emotions are the consequence of the impeccable technique of Mauro Corda and the incongruous situations that he creates. Mauro Corda never stops talking to us about ourselves. He shows us the cruelty and the violence which belong to the human being and his duality between good and bad. Sufferance is the inevitable feeling that haunts men for all their lives and that makes them miserable, but at the same time is necessary, even fascinating. Corda’s works lead the human being to a catharsis: they hit us with strength, showing us the deepest and most intimate traumas, instincts and passions. Only in this way we can face ours
  • Creator:
    Mauro Corda (1960, French)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)Width: 9.06 in (23 cm)Depth: 9.85 in (25 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    PARIS, FR
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2506213551662
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