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Mathias Kiss

Mathias Kiss is a French multidisciplinary artist of Hungarian origin, born in Poissy in 1972. The freedom he claims is his driving force: to step outside the box is to create poetic, authentic works that fit into collectors' everyday environments as much as they upset them.

Mathias has been expressing this need to break free from codes since childhood. His resistance to authority led him early on to the path of craftsmanship, training as a painter and carpenter before joining the Compagnons du Devoir in 1991. It was during restoration work on historic monuments that he learned the traditional techniques of the decorative arts. Access to these skills is as fascinating as it is divisive, and gives rise to an irrepressible desire to create.

Mathias Kiss doesn't limit himself to any medium, working in wood, marble and mirror, and dabbling in painting, gilding, sculpture and design. He hijacks and appropriates objects and styles, playing with references and viewers' perceptions to create works with an offbeat identity.

His guest room, presented at Private Choice 2023, is yet another sample of casualness. The blanket, entitled Out of Bed , seems to embrace the floor and merge with the pebbles and cacti that line the bed frame. Its mineral print is a direct reference to the Portor marble that adorns the facades of one of Place Vendôme's leading jewelry houses.

The artist had many opportunities to observe this place during his sketching sessions with the Compagnons. Recognizable by its links, the aestheticism of the noble stone contrasts with the feather quilting and suppleness of the fabric. This hybrid desert cocoon offers a singular ambience to any interior, imbued with the thoughts of Mathias Kiss.

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Biography

Mathias Kiss is a French multidisciplinary artist of Hungarian origin, born in 1972 in Poissy.

TRAINING

  • 1987 Drops out of school in 4th grade, starts apprenticeship as a house painter
  • 1989 CAP diploma after three years working for craftsmen in the suburbs
  • 1990 Works as a house painter
  • 1991 Starts work as a painter in the restoration of historic buildings, specializing in decorative painting.
  • 2000 Leaves this structure and experiments on his painting sites, searching for the meaning of this work, the obvious social differences between the worker he is and the artist who expresses himself, an ambivalence that prohibits the worker from being able to....

EXHIBITIONS - SELECTION

  • 2023 / Light my fire, galerie Ketabi Bourdet, Paris, FR
  • 2023 / Sensual objects, Le Meurice, Paris, FR
  • 2022 / Paristoutpetits, Christie's, 9 Avenue Matignon, Paris, FR
  • 2022 / Besoin d'Air, Gallery Elle, Zurich, CH
  • 2021 / Circularity, Galerie Bertrand Grimont, Paris, FR
  • 2021 / Vase, Galerie Alain Gutharc, Paris, FR
  • 2021 / Clouds, Gallery Elle, St. Moritz, CH
  • 2021 / Celebrations, Gallery Elle, St. Moritz, CH
  • 2021 / Flags for future, Istanbul, TR
  • 2020 / Hortus Conclusus. The illusion of paradise, Museo villa dei cedri di Bellinzona, Bellinzona, CH
  • 2020 / Playground - The design of sneakers , Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design, Bordeaux, FR
  • 2020 / Manifest "Mathias Kiss by Alexandre Guirkinger", 0fr, Paris, FR
  • 2019 / Besoin d'Air, Palais des Beaux Arts de Lille, FR
  • 2019 /Sneaker Collab, Musée cantonal de design et d'arts appliqués contemporains, Lausanne, CH
  • 2019 / Carte Blanche, Mobilier National, La Chapelle des Gobelins, Paris, FR
  • 2019 / Caressez-Moi Fort, Galerie Eva Hober, Paris, FR
  • 2019 / Art and matter, Galerie Mouvements Modernes, Paris, FR
  • 2018 / Heritages, Centre d'art contemporain départemental de l'ar[T]senal, Dreux, FR
  • 2018 / New Lights, Galerie Léage, Paris, FR
  • 2017 / Out of Time , Maison d'Auguste Comte, Paris, FR
  • 2017 / Free the Decor , Domaine Boisbuchet, Lessac, FR
  • 2017 / SUR/FACE , Angewandtekunst Museum Frankfurt, DE
  • 2017 / Miroir-Miroir , Musée cantonal de design et d'arts appliqués contemporains, Lausanne, CH
  • 2016 / Double Je , Palais de Tokyo, Paris, FR
  • 2016 / L'empreinte du Geste , Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, FR
  • 2016 / In Situ , Galerie Alain Gutharc, Paris, FR
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