Nicolas Alquin was born in 1958 in Brussels, in a family of artists. After studying art restoration at the museum of Arts et traditions populaires, Paris, he studies with sculptors Reinhoud d’Haese and Etienne Martin. Since then, he has been developing his own artistic lexicon according to three main vectors: wood (direct carving); bee's wax modeled from the block (sometimes casted in bronze); and black or sepia ink (for wash drawings with brush). Taking backwards the precepts of the post-minimal sculpture, he deploys a practice that replays, with great intensity, the art history, also convening references in the margin of the great sculptural history. In an incessant dialogue between the judeo-christian heritage and the influence of arts primitive on contemporary art, Nicolas Alquin materializes through his works a reflection on the relation between the visible and the unspeakable, the hand and the mind, or the mastering and the random. Therefore, he does not hesitate to take over so called traditional techniques (wood direct carving, bronze chiseling) to tint them with various influences and to put them in perspective. Extract from a text by Marc Bembekoff
MAIN SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 Elle et le chemin, Abbaye de Fontevraud,
France.
2021 Sculptures Galerie Marie-Ange Boucher Bruxelles, Belgium
2019 Histoires de sculptins: Villa consulaire française, Liège, Belgium
2018 Collégiale Saint-Pierre-la-Cour, Le Mans
2017 Maison de la musique et de la danse, Bagneux
2017 Galerie Devillez, Bruxelles
2016 "De toutes
pièces", Galerie Maeght, Paris, France
2016 "Nicolas Alquin, sculpture et xylotraces," Galerie Simonici, Luxembourg
2015 Art Paris Art Fair, Koralewski Gallery, Paris, France
2014 Guy Pieters Gallery, Knokke-Heist, Belgium
2013 "Bois et dérivés" exhibition: Hospice Saint-Roch Museum, Issoudun, France
Arsenal Museum — Abbaye Saint Jean des Vignes. Soissons, France
Campredon Museum. L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France
2012 Le Salon d’Art Gallery. Brussels, Belgium
2008 Guigon Gallery. Paris, France
2007 Galleria Del Leone, Venice, Italy
2005 "Bois flotté" exhibition: Ixelles Museum. Brussels, Belgium
Château de Coubertin Museum, Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, France
2002 Prince Pierre de Monaco Foundation. Principality of Monaco
2003 Michèle Broutta Gallery, Paris, France
2000 Fred Lanzenberg Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
1999 Fred Lanzenberg Gallery, FIAC Art Fair. Paris, France
1998 Veranneman Foundation. Kruishoutem, Belgium
1992 Agnès B. Gallery. Paris, France
1991 Erval Gallery, FIAC Art Fair. Paris, France
1990 Contemporary Art Museum. Dunkerque, France
Cultural Center Le Botanique, Brussels, Belgium
1987 Galerie Maeght, Barcelona, Spain
1986 Galerie Maeght, Paris, France
MAIN MONUMENTS, AND PUBLIC ACQUISITIONS
2020 Liturgical furniture for Chapelle de l’Institut Catholique de Lill, France
2018 "Que la paix soit avec toi", Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-La-Treille, Lille, France
2018 Monument aux morts, Brunoy, France
2017 "Calvaire des marins de Dunkerque", rue militaire, Dunkerque, France
2013 "Haris," monumental wood sculpture, Museum of Art. Soissons, France
2012 "Saint Joseph," monumental wood sculpture. Saint-Joseph de Montrouge parish, France
2010 "Altar of the chapel" in: Maison des Serviteurs de la Parole, Charenton, France
2009 "Persée et Andromède," monumental wood sculptures, Cultural center, Yerres, France
2008 "Via Orange," Iron sculpture for the Orange-France Telecom group, Arcueil , France
"Parole d’abîme," monumental wood sculpture, House of the bishops of France, Paris, France
2007 "Solitude," Iron and wood monumental sculpture, Memorial to the resistant slaves, Bagneux, France
"Joseph à l’écoute," monumental wood sculpture, Kliniek Sint Jozef, Pittem, Belgium
2002 "Croix d’Éspérance," monumental wood sculpture, Notre-Dame-d’Éspérance church, Paris, France
1998 "Parole portée (A voice beyond death )," National memorial to the victims of terrorism, Hôtel des Invalides, Paris, France
"Judith," monumental bronze sculpture, Square Albert I, Brussels, Belgium
1996 "Judith ou la parole double," monumental bronze sculpture, Beelden aan Zee museum, Netherlands
1991 "Gaspard," monumental wood sculpture, Contemporary Art museum, Dunkerque, France
1989 "Jour de désert," monumental wood sculpture, Museum of Sacred Art, Lille, France
INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
2014 Grand Prix Léon-Georges Baudry,Taylor Foundation, Paris, France
2014 Prix des Arts Léopold Sédar Senghor, cénacle européen, Paris, France
2007 Charles et Christiane Oulmont Foundation Award, Paris, France
2004 Enku Award, Gifu, Japan
2002 International Sculpture Award, Poznan, Poland
2001 Grand Prix Prince Pierre de Monaco, Principality of Monaco
1997 Prix de sculpture de l’Académie des Beaux-Arts, Simone and Cino del Duca Foundation, Paris, France
1988 Prix Léonard de Vinci, AFAA. Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
1987 Prix de la Villa Médicis hors les murs, Verona, Italy
MAIN GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 Galerie Birch: CoBrA and friends (continuous exhibition):
Nicolas Alquin, Reinhoud, Asger Jorn, Carl-Henning Pedersen, Jan Voss, Walasse Ting & more.
2020 Fond International d’Art contemporain du Mans, Le Mans,
France
Galerie Birch, Art Herning, Denmark,
Paintings by Kenneth Blom and sculptures by Nicolas Alquin
2019 Sculpt' en Sologne, invité d'honneur, FranceGalerie Birch, Art Elysées, Paris, Paintings by Jan Voss and sculptures by Nicolas Alquin
2018 Brafa Art Fair Bruxelles, stand Maeght 39B (27th January-1st February 2018)
2016 "Alquin, Amorim, de Torhout," Taylor Foundation, Paris, France
2015 "Bronzes," Galerie Maeght, Paris, France
2015 Art Elysées Art Fair, Koralewski Gallery. Paris, France
2015 Flag France Renaissance, Shanghai, China
2013. Flag France Renaissance, Château de la Celle Saint-Cloud, France
2011 Blickachsen Biennal, Bad Homburg, Germany
2009 Biennal of sculptures, Yerres, France
2007 Art Wallon Museum, Liège, Belgium
2006 International Sculpture Triennal, Poznan, Poland
2005 Enku award exhibition, Gifu, Japan
2004 "Moi ! Autoportrait du XXe siècle," exhibition: Luxembourg Museum, Paris, France and Galleria degli Uffizi Museum, Firenze, Italy
2002 Een jonge garde, Beelden aan Zee Museum, Netherlands
2001 Movement 134, Plaza Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2000 Veranneman Foundation, Kruishoutem, Belgium