Philippe Favier

Philippe Favier graduated from the Beaux-Arts in Saint-Étienne. From the outset, he used unusual techniques and formats. His early works, which were very small in size, demonstrated the sharpness and irony of his gaze: he invented imaginary places, countries and continents, ideal cities and blue islands, for which he became the imaginary and meticulous cartographer. His formats then became larger and more rounded, with painting on glass remaining a constant feature of his work, particularly in the pieces he created from 1988 onwards for public spaces.

Philippe Favier's work demonstrates the enduring nature of pictorial art, drawing as much on classical painting, which requires traditional skills to explore the symbols and figures of eternal myths, as on modern art, which has renewed its means and concepts. It also embraces the poetry of words and draws us into a unique universe that Melville would not have disowned. His works awaken our gaze, titillate our imagination and stir our emotions to unsettle them. Skulls and skeletons, ‘vanities’ refer to the question of eternity, art history and philosophy. The themes explored reveal humanity's appetite for life, but also its malice and fragility. In his works, where the infinitely small is confronted with the infinitely large, the delicate art of drawing and colour, the techniques of engraving and reverse painting rub shoulders with the freedom of collage, the détournement of objects and the false realism of photography. His poetic interpretation of the world also evokes the enigma of words and plays on the echo between image and writing.

Galerie 8+4 has been working regularly with Philippe Favier for over 20 years, producing specific collections that open up new territories and mediums for exploration.

1- Réveillez vo’ cueurs endormis, 2024
Brass wire, bird rings, feathers, weights, labels, collages, screws and nails, on inkjet print engraving and wooden box
32.5 × 38 × 9 cm

2- Pour la peau, 2022
Pigment print on Hahnemühle 308 g paper, gouache and collages
Set of 8 different plates
61 × 53 cm chaque planche / each plate

3- Hardingia favieri, 2015
Engraved and painted glass
Variable dimensions

4- Route de Peyrus, 2019
Carbon drawing on 310g Canson paper
120 × 20 cm

5- Baleine bleue, 2018
Black-covered glass box with screen printing
Mixed media
24 × 35 × 5 cm