- Art & Design
The work of wood artist Marc Ricourt is a constant dialogue between distant places and modern society. Experimenting with several types of wood, he obtains a different result each time, exhibiting all aspects of wood but never forgetting its origins.
At KALPA Art Living, artists from different disciplines and with diverse cultural backgrounds, techniques, and styles meet. Their work puts the universal language of human creativity first, always emphasising the continuity between past, present, and future. Their various observations of nature establish a dialogue between forms and nuances. The gallery, founded in 2019 in the Italian hill town of Volterra, collaborates with French wood artist Marc Ricourt, among others. After years of studying all aspects of woodwork, the latter now incorporates his fascination with various traditional art forms into his extraordinary wood pieces. 
‘I strive to find the perfect harmony between wood, form, texture, and colour,’ says the artist. In historic Burgundy, surrounded by forests and vineyards, Ricourt designs beautiful objects with organic shapes, deep colours, flowing lines, and natural textures. His work aims to explore the relationship between remote civilisations and modern art, which has already earned him much critical acclaim. His pieces fit perfectly within KALPA's vision, which integrates visual arts, craftsmanship, and interior design into one inspiring whole.
Ricourt is particularly inspired by the vessel, one of the most fundamental forms in his craft
Woodturning is a craft that dates back to our earliest history, but it was not considered as a form of art and design until the modern period. Ricourt is particularly inspired by the vessel, one of the most fundamental forms in his craft. Some elements distinguish his work from that of other wood artists: the mastery of his technique, the distinct edges of the vessels, and the strength and passion that speak from each of the objects. With their different energies and dimensions, the pieces in oak and walnut are an ode to the diversity of nature. 
The artist finds his materials around Dijon, where he collects wood when it is still green and cuts and treats it on a traditional lathe. The treatment is done in such a way that the result is always slightly different from all his previous works. Recently, he also experimented with dried firewood, creating textured rough surfaces for the Scorched black series. For Rust, he applied iron oxide to the wood surface, giving the material the feel and look of corten steel. Finally, some of his pieces in shades of black and rust have recently been included in Molteni&C's Outdoor Collection, as part of the collaboration between KALPA and the Italian design brand. The meeting between Ricourt's creative craftsmanship and Molteni&C's artistic director Vincent Van Duysen leads to dramatic, masterful designs that you can only admire.
Header image: photos by Simone Stanislai, courtesy of KALPA
photos by Vittorio Marrucci, courtesy of KALPA