JAN FABRE (né en 1958) Lot n° 24

Spanish Sword (For Russia) II 2016 Beetle wings and stee 47 1/4 x 8 21/32 x 1 31/32 in. JAN FABRE (né en 1958) Jan Fabreis an artist who lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium, where he also received his artistic training, first at the School of Decorative Arts and then at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. A multidisciplinary artist, Jan Fabre is a painter, sculptor, draughtsman, choreographer and stage director. Beyond his performances, he develops a plastic research based on various materials such as his own blood, ink, ballpoint pen, beetle shells, stuffed animals, bones or marble. His work focuses on several main themes: the question of metamorphosis, the relationship between man and nature, the vanities, death and resurrection, and the dialogue between art and science.  The Spanish Sword (For Russia) II is composed of a sword entirely covered with beetle shells in the manner of cabochons, gems and precious stones. The object of combat is here diverted by the artist; adorned, exposed, it transcends its usual identity and becomes a work of art, in the manner of the mirabilia shown in the cabinets of curiosity. War and violence, directly associated with the sword, are erased here. Only the reference to chivalric traditions and the fight against evil remains. The work of art, through its form, becomes a symbol in the service of the battle for art and the triumph of beauty. The choice of beetles is not insignificant. Dear to the artist for their colors and iridescent tones, these insects also fascinate for their ability to assimilate information and for their resistance through time. Beyond their beauty, these shells give the work a new perspective on the field of knowledge.  With Spanish Sword (for Russia) II, Jan Fabre once again excels in the art of confrontation. Combining combat, art, beauty and knowledge, the work imposes itself on the viewer as an emblem whose message is none other than the struggle for eternity and the recognition of art.  Among his most notable exhibitions in recent years are a retrospective at the Louvre Museum (2008), the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and the Museum of Modern Art in Saint-Etienne (2011), the Hermitage in St. Petersburg (2016), and at the Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paulde-Vence (2018)