MAURO CORDA

MAURO CORDA Corda’s love of sculpture prevailed at the tender of age 15 having enrolled at the Beaux-Arts in Reims. He then continued his technical training at the Paris Beaux-Arts where he won first prize, and with that the beginning of his somewhat tumultuous friendship with Jean Cardot. At 23 Corda tragically lost his elder brother Salvatore in an unexpected accident. Following this, his works became imbued with much more pain; lowered heads, cast down eyes almost in tears, and open hands. Corda met his wife Alicia following his acceptance to Casa Velázquez in Madrid. At this point his sculptures developed a harshness which originated with the death of his brother. A fondness of male love, absence, contemplation and androgyny dominated his works; a posthumous reflection and acceptance of the homosexuality of his late brother. Corda’s success blossomed in the early nineties with the timeless truthfulness of his works overcoming the ready-mades of the period. As a sculpture, Corda incorporates colours such as chrome silver, gilding and paint into his bronze art forms. In search of greater dimensions, his sculptures have moved on to other materials, such as aluminium and iron. Influenced by his time in the Italian Pietrasanta, he has also introduced marble and terra cotta into his work. His incredible command over the materials develops them into profound pieces of art. Corda’s shifting of materials lead back to his vision to portray persons in the most diverse roles, environments, and situations. His expressiveness is far too powerful to be portrayed by a single material. He will redo his bronze bust of an Asian girl in ceramic, because it will illuminate aspects of her essence that remain hidden in bronze. These figures create a continual dialogue between revealing space and man, offering a powerful visual exchange.

PLONGEON FEMME & HOMME

CONTORSIONNISTE AU MASQUE FIFI

CONTORSIONNISTE AU MASQUE DINGO

CONTORSIONNISTE AU MASQUE MICKEY

CONTORSIONNISTE AU MASQUE MINNIE

GRANDE CONTORSIONNISTE XXV

CONTORSIONNISTE AU CERCEAU

ENVOL DU CONTORSIONNISTE

THON

BASSET

LE RAT

YOGA I

YOGA II

LA CONTORSIONNISTE

CONTORSIONNISTE HOMME IV

LA RADIOGRAPHIE DU CONTORSIONNISTE

BALLONS

OUTRAGE

BUSTE POUSSIèRE

LA GATTA ASSISE

MAURO CORDA Mauro Corda was born in Lourdes in 1960. 1976-1979 Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Reims, Charles Auffret workshop. 1981-1985 Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris, Jean Cardot workshop. 1985-1987 Scholarship at the Casa Velazquez, Madrid. Lives and works in Paris since 1987.

AWARDS 1983 - Paul-Louis Weiller Portrait Prize 1985 - Paul Belmondo Prize 1986/1987 - Fellowship, Casa Velazquez, Madrid 1989 - Charles Malfray Prize for Drawing 1992 - Princess Grace of Monaco Foundation Prize 2010 - Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres

SOLO EXHIBITIONS 1989 - Marie-Laure Leduc Gallery, Paris, France Township of Vervins, Vervins, France 1990 - National Assembly Gallery, Paris, France 1991 - Sabine Herbert Gallery, Paris, France Despiau-Wlérick Museum, Mont-de-Marsan, France 1992 - Sabine Herbert Gallery, Paris, France Martine Brasseur Gallery, Reims, France 1994 - Guigné Gallery, Paris, France Buffon Museum, Montbard, France Salon Découvertes au Grand Palais, Loft Gallery, Paris, France 1995 - Chambery Fine Art Museum, Chambery, France Loft Gallery, Paris, France 1996 - Museum Annex Gallery, Hong Kong The castle fort and its Pyrenean Museum, Lourdes, France Galleria del Leone, Venice, Italy 1997 - Chicago Art Fair, Galerie Meyer-Bugel, Paris, France Hôtel de la Monnaie, Paris, France 1998 - Miami Contemporary Art Fair, Marion Meyer Gallery, Paris, France Galleria del Leone, Venice, Italy Museum of Florival, Guebwiller, France Art International New York, Galleria del Leone, Venice, Italy 1999 - De Twee Pauwen Gallery, The Hague, Holland Galleria del Leone, Venice, Italy Fine Art Museum, Reims, Paris, France 2000 - «Never again», La Samaritaine, Paris, France Michelle Boulet Gallery, Paris, France

De Twee Pauwen Gallery, The Hague, Holland Teissèdre Gallery, Paris, France 2001 - Tony Rocfort Gallery, Rennes, France De Twee Pauwen Gallery, The Hague, Holland Teissèdre Gallery, Paris, France 2002 - Opera Gallery, Singapore Opera Gallery, New York, USA Teissèdre Gallery, Paris, France 2003 - Tony Rocfort Gallery, Rennes, France De Twee Pauwen Gallery, The Hague, Holland Opera Gallery, Singapore Teissèdre Gallery, Paris, France Art retrospective Bergerac, France 2004 - Teissèdre Gallery, Paris, France Tony Rocfort Gallery, Rennes, France 2005 - De Twee Pauwen Gallery, The Hague, Holland Loft Gallery, Barcelona, Spain Frédéric Marès Museum, Barcelona, Spain Teissèdre Gallery, Paris, France Opera Gallery, Hong Kong Teissèdre Gallery, Paris, France 2006 - Art Paris, Martin du Louvre Gallery, Paris, France Opera Gallery, New York, USA 2007 - Tony Rocfort Gallery, Rennes, France Opera Gallery, London, UK Guy Flichy Gallery, Greenwich, UK 2008 - Opera Gallery, Seoul, Korea De Twee Pauwen Gallery, The Hague, Holland Opera Gallery, Paris, France 2009 - Tony Rocfort Gallery, Rennes, France Dumonteil Gallery, Shanghai, China «The contorsionnists in the street», Opera Gallery, Monaco Bel Air Fine Art Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland 2010 - Opera Gallery, Singapore Ion Marie-José Degrelle Gallery, Reims, France Cardo Gallery, Reims, France «Tentation du portrait», Demeure des Comtes de Champagne, Reims, France «Tentation du portrait», Opera Gallery, Paris, France Mark Hachem Gallery, Beyrouth, Libanon 2011 - Tony Rocfort Gallery, Rennes, France Opera Gallery, Singapore Marina

COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS 1986/1988 - Casa Velázquez, Madrid, Spain 1986 - Valladolid Museum, Valladolid, Spain 1987 - «Hommage to Garcia Lorca», Grenada Museum, Grenada, Spain 1987/88/90/91 - Salon d’Angers, Angers, France 1988 - The Post Museum, Paris, France 1989 - The Tambour Gallery, Reims, France 1990 - Daune Gallery, Paris, France 1991 - Vendôme Gallery, Paris, France Catherine Fernet Gallery, Brussels, Belgium Akka Valmay Gallery, Paris, France 1985/1995 - Exhibits in the main Paris Fairs & Salons, France 1992 - «Taureau en Tête», Anglet, France 1993 - La Tour des Cardinaux Gallery, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France Art Dialogue, Nationale Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria 1994 - Ostende Contemporay Art Fair, Catherine Frenet Gallery, Brussels, Belgium Sculptures, Mont-de-Marsan, France Kunsthandel Gallery, Amsterdam, Holland F.I.A.C, Loft Gallery, Paris, France 1995 - Loft Gallery, Paris, France Progetto Scultura, Galleria del Leone, Venice, Italy IVth European Sculpture Triennial, Jardin des Plantes, Paris, France La Tour des Cardinaux Gallery, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France Padova Contemporary Art Fair, Galleria del Leone, Venice, Italy 1996 - 13 Gallery, Rennes, France Patio, Anglet, France 1997 - MIART, Milan Art Fair, Galleria del Leone, Venice, Italy Sculptures Trail, Saint-Emilion, France Drawing exhibition, Beatrix Enea, Anglet, France 1998 - Bologna Art Fair, Galleria del Leone, Venice, France Art Frankfurt, Marion Meyer Gallery, Paris, France SAGA, Galleria del Leone, Venice, Italy 1999 - Art Miami, Marion Meyer Gallery, Paris, France London Art on Paper FAIR, Galleria del Leone, Venice, Italy SAGA, Galleria del Leone, Venice, Italy Holland Art Fair, Galerie De Twee Pauwen, The Hague, Holland Die Leman Gallery, Belgium Yoshii Gallery, Paris, France 2000 - «L’homme qui Marche», Jardin du Palais Royal, Paris, France «L’homme qui Marche», Den Haag Sculptur, The Hague, Holland Marion Meyer Gallery, Frankfurt, Germany Imago Galleries, Palm Desert, USA Opera Gallery, New York, USA 2001 - Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan Salon de mars, Geneva, Switzerland Esplanade du Donjon, Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, France Opera Gallery, New York, USA Frankfurt Art Fair, Frankfurt, Germany

«Drawings by Sculptors», Michelle Broutta Gallery, Paris, France 2002 - «Portrait», Teissèdre Gallery, Paris, France Strasbourg Art Fair, Galleria del Leone, Venice, Italy La Tour des Cardinaux Gallery, Marseille, France Contemporary Art Fair, Rotterdam, Holland Grulier Boix Vives Gallery, Courchevel, France 2003 - Salon Antiquaires Beaux-Arts, Paris, France Opera Gallery, Miami, USA Den Haag Sculptuur, The Hague, Holland 2004 - Foire «Realisme 04», Amsterdam, Holland Salon Antiquaires Beaux-Arts, Paris, France Boulevard de Sculpture, The Hague, Holland Espace Ample, Barcelona, Spain 2005 - Opera Gallery, London, UK 2006 - The 2nd Beijing International Art Biennial 2005 Beijing, China Ferrero Gallery, Nice, Paris Tras Fashion Lab, Barcelona, Spain 2007 - The Moscow World, Galerie Fine Art Fair, Moscow, Russia Sculptuur Biennale Kijkduin, De Twee Pauwen Gallery, The Hague, Holland Over Water, De Twee Pauwen Gallery, Den Haag 2008 - «LE MANEGE» Moscou, Galerie Bel Air Fine Art, Geneva, Switzerland Show off, Bailly Gallery, Paris 2009 - Pavillon des Beaux Arts, Bel Air Fine Art Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland Pavillon des Beaux Art, Bailly Gallery, Paris, France 2010 - 150 ans de L’Angélus de Millet, Barbizon, France

ACQUISITIONS 1983 - Portrait Eric Durand, Stade Eric Durand, Viry Chatillon, France 1988 - Monument Sillery-Quebec et Sillery-France, France 1990 - Purchase by State National Assembly, France 1991 - Works in Despiau-Wlérick Museum, Mont-de-Marsan, France 1991/1995 - C.H.E.N.E. Trophy : Civic Centre, Montpellier, France 1992 - Monument, Mont-de-Marsan, France Purchase by H.R.H le Prince Rainier III of Monaco, Monaco 1993 - Purchase by the State: 1st Prize for Contemporary Art for the Hôtel d’Haumont, Paris, France 1996 - Hôtel de la Monnaie, Paris, France Creation of the 27th Lancôme Trophy, Paris, France 1997/1998 - Commission of the monument «Slaughter» 2002 - Medal for the French Society of History of Medecine France 2004 - «Wongo» Monument, Gabon 2005 - Cyrano de Bergerac’s purchase, town of Bergerac, France 2007 - The Peace Monument, Elancourt, France 2010 - Monument L’Ecuyer, Elancourt, France Purchase Château Crayères, Reims, France Purchase of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs «Asia et Afrique», France