Malo Chapuy
Untitled, 2023
Untitled, 2023
Courtesy of the artist
Collection
Tempera, gold, and silver on wood, artist frame
28 x 37.5 cm (framed)
TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection
Born in 1995 in Laon, France, and living in Paris, Malo Chapuy can be seen as a modern-day copyist monk, meticulously replicating the techniques and perspectives of fourteenth-century painters to create enigmatic works that bridge the past and present.
Before enrolling at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Chapuy immersed himself in the study of late mediaeval figures. His early work focused on the image-objects of the Middle Ages, merging mediaeval techniques like tempera and gilding with contemporary items such as motorcycle helmets and branded shoes to create anachronistic relics. Chapuy then shifted his attention to painting, recontextualizing late Gothic and early Renaissance artworks by introducing modern elements to the images, such as placing water towers behind a Madonna inspired by Fra Angelico or situating an Annunciation in a building designed by Le Corbusier.
In the work featured in the TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection, Malo Chapuy reimagines Piero della Francesca’s portrait of Federico da Montefeltro (1466). The Duke is replaced by an engineer, and the serene Renaissance landscape gives way to an industrial backdrop. Chapuy’s fusion of historical and modern elements invites viewers to question the transformation of artistic expression over time and to consider the enduring relevance of historical imagery. By collapsing time and space, his work creates a provocative juxtaposition that highlights the tension between tradition and modernity. Through these anachronisms, Chapuy engages with art history, contrasting religious iconography with contemporary contexts and generating a visual dialogue that bridges centuries.
28 x 37.5 cm (framed)
TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection
Born in 1995 in Laon, France, and living in Paris, Malo Chapuy can be seen as a modern-day copyist monk, meticulously replicating the techniques and perspectives of fourteenth-century painters to create enigmatic works that bridge the past and present.
Before enrolling at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Chapuy immersed himself in the study of late mediaeval figures. His early work focused on the image-objects of the Middle Ages, merging mediaeval techniques like tempera and gilding with contemporary items such as motorcycle helmets and branded shoes to create anachronistic relics. Chapuy then shifted his attention to painting, recontextualizing late Gothic and early Renaissance artworks by introducing modern elements to the images, such as placing water towers behind a Madonna inspired by Fra Angelico or situating an Annunciation in a building designed by Le Corbusier.
In the work featured in the TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection, Malo Chapuy reimagines Piero della Francesca’s portrait of Federico da Montefeltro (1466). The Duke is replaced by an engineer, and the serene Renaissance landscape gives way to an industrial backdrop. Chapuy’s fusion of historical and modern elements invites viewers to question the transformation of artistic expression over time and to consider the enduring relevance of historical imagery. By collapsing time and space, his work creates a provocative juxtaposition that highlights the tension between tradition and modernity. Through these anachronisms, Chapuy engages with art history, contrasting religious iconography with contemporary contexts and generating a visual dialogue that bridges centuries.