Olivier Julia

OLIVIER JULIA (France,1952)
Sculptural floor lamp, ca. 1990-2000
Unique piece.
In worked and patinated copper.
Cylindrical textile lampshade.
Signed.
Very good state of preservation.
Measurements: 200 × 80 × 40 cm.

Imposing floor lamp handcrafted in worked and patinated copper, signed by the French artist Olivier Julia. The piece presents a vertical hammered structure, of marked organic texture, which rises to an elegant sinuous arm carrying the point of light, balanced by a rear curved element that reinforces its graphic and sculptural presence.

The fluidly developing base, modeled with an almost root-like language, evokes plant forms and underlines the expressive character of the hand-worked metal. The rich patina of the copper, with warm and deep shades, intensifies the plastic dimension of the whole and generates a dialogue between sculpture and functional object, characteristic of the artist's production.

This work is part of Julia's research on patinated copper and hammered metal, where the artisanal process and the transformation of the material become central elements of the formal language. The piece has a strong architectural and sculptural presence, typical of European artistic design at the end of the 20th century.

Olivier Julia trained at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. In his sculptures and objects, he explores the relationship between drawing, volume and architecture. He works especially with copper and other metals patinated by fire, a technique close to the tradition of dinanderie. His works are part of public and corporate collections such as ING, KPN, TNT Post, the Rijksmuseum Twenthe or the Royal Library of Belgium.