LARTIGUE Guy

Guy Lartigue is a wizard and architect of water. During a period of 25 years around 80 sculptures/fountains form a magnificent network through the hearts of many cities.

He adds to his skills of working in copper, granite, marble and stainless steel, a certain “savoir-faire” of manipulating water as a medium and thus creates a magical ally.

As an artist Lartigue is fascinated by the “harmony of spheres” and the beauty of different materials.  He created a “monumental signal” and a tapestry made of nylon cables (24m x 22m). He suffered to assure his reputation as a sculptor of forms and colors but he became a true “couturier” of water married with light. The Fontaine de la Promenade Larvatto in Monte Carlo is a celebration of the style of these alliances.

Lartigue made monumental sizes his natural dimensions.  Every one of his oeuvres brings movement and song which make his fountains a center of unique pleasure and allow us to see their forms come to life, for his fountains are living poetic beings.  Just look and listen to his fountain “La Bouche de la Vérité” (The mouth of truth), one of his latest sculptures; it exemplifies the sentiment of a sensitive and powerful dialogue between the material and the flow of the water.

Guy Lartigue adds hydraulic science to his quality of creation and meticulous knowledge of materials. This helps him to communicate optical illusions of enveloping liquid dust, cascading jets, swift waves, and fine transparent rain. Each illusion can evoke a memory of childhood games and allows us to experience of the power of dreams in the hearts of our stone cities.

                                                                                                       Andre PARINAUD