Patrick Chelli (born In 1955), Portrait Of Anthony Gormley, Sculptor, 1/5

Patrick Chelli (born in 1955)
Portrait of Antony Gormley, sculptor
Gelatin silver print mounted on Dibond
Numbered 1/5
Dimensions of the work: 100 x 70 cm
Dimensions of the original frame with some small snags: 107 x 75.5 cm

Photographer and visual artist residing in Paris, Patrick Chelli is a self-taught artist who draws his inspiration from the wide variety of movements that have marked the history of art. Jack-of-all-trades, he expresses himself through the different techniques of collage, sculpture and photography to which he devotes himself fully from 2005. Patrick Chelli distinguished himself as a portrait painter of personalities from the world of art and fashion.

He produces portraits with unconventional framing testifying to his talent as a director. His subjects appear with their faces hidden thanks to a subtle game of hide and seek. The photographer skillfully masks the bodies, revealing what makes each one so unique thanks to the chosen attributes. His photographs are not devoid of references to Italian Renaissance painting, in particular to the Annunciations of Fra Angelico (1395-1455) where the Angel Gabriel and Mary escape the learned game of columns.

Our photo belongs to the series entitled “Portraits Cachés” presented at Galerie Daniel Besseiche in 2013, also including portraits of Kiki Smith, Cindy Sherman and David Lynch. British sculptor Antony Gormley lends himself to the game by slipping behind one of his steel sculptures, Project II (2010). The artist, whose work explores the image of man, exhibits all over the world, appearing as one of the most important sculptors of the contemporary scene.