Lalique art
Today, LALIQUE ART places the expertise of Lalique at the service of major contemporary artists, designers with flair, and cultural foundations; the aim is to create unique and exceptional works of art. LALIQUE ART offers artists new inspirations and motifs, using the interplay of light, transparency, color and contours. This extraordinary encounter between art and crystal is giving rise to new forms of creative expression.
LALIQUE ART uses the lost-wax technique to realize certain exceptional works of art. This complex and sophisticated procedure was invented five thousand years ago in Ancient Egypt and is used in particular to create sculptures in bronze, as Auguste Rodin did in the late 19th century.
After modelling a work in wax, it is encased in refractory plaster, then the whole piece is fired in a furnace, melting the wax in the interior; finally, molten glass or crystal is poured into the hollow space remaining.
Each piece is unique. But because of the imprint left in plaster, several castings can be made based on the original wax model. This long, delicate and arduous lost-wax process is unmatched in allowing fine details to be brought to light, creating a unique texture akin to a “crystal skin”.
The Artists
« I have been fascinated and inspired by art all my life. »
"As far back as 1998, I was introduced to Pascal Retelet, curator of the artist Arman and owner of galleries in various European countries. Out of the friendship that grew up between us, numerous joint projects in the artistic domain emerged. One of these was closely related to Lalique. The French crystal maker possesses an unprecedented mastery of diverse forms of creative expression, with designs that have always been at the interface between art and décor. I acquired Lalique in 2008, intent on reinvigorating the brand with the sort of creative energy René Lalique brought to its inception. Henceforth, Pascal and I shared the idea of putting one of France’s most iconic crystal manufacturers at the service of leading contemporary artists."
Silvio Denz, Chairman and CEO, Lalique S.A.