Philippe Buil: The Quest for Intimacy

Hello Philippe, thanks for welcoming us into your studio! So tell us, how did this infatuation with sculpture come about?

I have been around sculpture ever since I was a kid. My mother used to sculpt glass and I used to watch her do it, and give her a hand from time to time. Later on, I turned to working closely with metal in my professional life (steelworks, foundry, metalwork, cutlery, ...). At the same time, I would sculpt for my personal pleasure and for my friends, on the side. A few years back, the urge to drop everything I was doing and fully commit to sculpture was just too strong, and I left my job to become a professional sculptor.

You spend a great deal of time in the studio on each sculpture before they inevitably come to life What actually happens there?

The first step is in my head. I imagine the sculpture, its shapes, its colors, its balance... I visualize it thousands of times in my mind before the final picture presents itself. I start by making a model, either in plaster or in wood. If I start with a live model, I cover their body in strips of plaster that I then leave to dry. Then comes the making of the sand mold (foundry sand): I proceed to make a cast of my model. 

I then melt the metal drop by drop and manage the spacing of the drops to create my lace. At this point, I alternate the steel and bronze to create the color shades I picture in my head. When I am satisfied with my casting, I brush down the sculpture for a long time to find the right colors and lights.

I sign each sculpture and engrave the year of it was made along with the registration number, to keep track in my catalog. The last step is the varnishing, so that the colors do not fade with time.

I have developed my own technique of creating a sort of metal lace by melting it drop by drop.

This technique allows me to revisit classic Greco-Roman models while guaranteeing my clients the uniqueness of each work.

What artistic movements inspired you and contributed to the creation of this rather sensual sculptural vision?

I am mainly inspired by two artistic styles: the Greco-Roman, and the Great Masters of which Giacometti. The Greco-Roman for the bodies, and especially the busts, because it is our history. The Great Masters, because when you love art, you go to museums and as a sculptor, influences are unavoidable.

Busts and animals are two subjects that I am particularly interested in, which allow me to produce them differently each time, depending on my mood and whatever is inspiring me in that moment.

You work mainly with metal, why?

My two favorite metals are Bronze and Steel. If I were to make a comparison with horses: bronze is the work horse (docile, quiet, noble) and steel is the young stallion (fiery, wild, playful). My professional background in the world of metals has allowed me to know my way around them and to know how to work them with utter pleasure.

Can you tell us more about this “dripping“ technique you created?

I was looking for a way to recreate the kind of transparency you get with glass (which I had learned to master with my mother) with metal. I then approached art founders, but their method did not allow me to obtain what I was looking for.

So then developed my own technique which consists of creating a type lacing out of metal by melting it, then dripping it into the shape I want. 

This technique allows me to revisit the classical Greco-Roman models by guaranteeing my clients the uniqueness of each work - it is thus impossible for me to identically remake a sculpture, seeing as how the drops leave little gaps that are impossible to replicate.