Claude Courtecuisse

LES EFFERVESCENCES – ALKA SELTZER

SÉRIE LES EFFERVESCENCES, 2015

Description

Original drawing. Unique work. Texts of medical notices. Signed, stamp, dated on the front.

Technical

Alka Seltzer, sepia ink, pencil, on paper.

Dimensions

27cm x 34cm

500,00

In stock

Description

Claude Courtecuisse is an artist, designer, and educator who divides his time between Lille and Paris. His extensive career is marked by significant contributions to both the artistic and academic worlds, notably his iconic role in accessible design for Prisunic.

A graduate of the Arts Appliqués in Paris and the École Normale Supérieure de l’Enseignement Technique (ENS), Claude Courtecuisse quickly established himself as a leading figure in French design. In 1967, he distinguished himself at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs with a bold presentation of cardboard furniture, showcasing his commitment to a sustainable and aesthetically modern approach. The following year, he designed the Mercurio chair in thermoformed plastic, a technical feat representative of industrial design at the time.

It was also during this period that his iconic Apollo armchair was born—an innovative and comfortable model that could be carried under the arm. This armchair was produced by Steiner and distributed by Prisunic around 1969-1970, embodying Prisunic’s desire to make “beauty at the price of ugliness” accessible to everyone. The Apollo armchair was even reissued by Monoprix (Prisunic’s successor) in 2022, testifying to its timeless character and its importance in the history of popular design. He also designed the Monobloc Soléa Chair in 1970, produced by Cattaneo, examples of which are held by the Frac Grand Large.

Parallel to his industrial creations, Courtecuisse began his teaching career at the École régionale des arts plastiques de Lille from 1970 to 1987, where he served as director from 1987 to 1989. He was also a member of the technical committee of the Frac Nord-Pas-de-Calais from 1982 to 1989.

His influence extended nationally as Principal Inspector of Artistic Education at the Ministry of Culture from 1989 to 1992. He then held teaching and advisory roles in prestigious institutions such as École Camondo and École Olivier de Serre in Paris, where he was an associate professor until 2001. Currently, he prepares students for the leçon examination of the agrégation in applied arts at ENS Cachan.

As an accomplished artist, photographer, and sculptor, Claude Courtecuisse has completed public commissions for the Ministry of Culture. His works are featured in renowned collections, including the Musée d’Art Moderne de Villeneuve d’Ascq, the Centre Georges-Pompidou, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and the Frac Nord-Pas-de-Calais. His diverse body of work, his pioneering role in accessible design, and his profound impact on art education firmly establish him as a pivotal figure in contemporary French art and an emblematic designer of the Prisunic years.

Designer

Claude Courtecuisse, artist, designer, teacher, lives and works in Lille and Paris. A graduate of Applied Arts in Paris and the Ecole Normale Supérieure de l'Enseignement Technique (ENS), he became a professor at the Regional School of Plastic Arts in Lille from 1970 to 1987, where he was in charge between 1987 and 1989. He was a member of the Frac Nord-Pas-de-Calais technical committee from 1982 to 1989.

From 1989 to 1992, he held the position of Chief Inspector of Arts Education at the Ministry of Culture. Lecturer and educational advisor at the Camondo School until 1998, he was Associate Professor at the Olivier de Serre School (Paris) from 1994 to 2001. He currently works at the ENS Cachan for the preparation for the test lesson to the aggregation of applied arts. As an artist, photographer, sculptor and designer, he carried out public commissions for the Ministry of Culture and several of his works were acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in Villeneuve d'Ascq, the Center Georges-Pompidou , the Museum of Decorative Arts and the Frac Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

Context

The effervescences (2015)
In its initial definition, effervescence is described as the bubbling of a liquid produced by the release of gas bubbles according to the introduction of certain substances. But beyond this material and physical reality, the effervescence also expresses the bubbling of a thought when it is part of the conceptual and intellectual investigations of an approach, whether social, political or in the case of artistic present.

Paradoxically, this series of images, in this project, reconciles, stages and superimposes these two physical and metaphorical references ...

An effervescent tablet, extracted from a medicinal production of one of the many planetary holders of the pharmaceutical industry, is fixed on a paper support of 27cm X 34 cm.

After having moistened it with a slight flow of water making sure that it overflows and spreads randomly on the sheet, we inject a few drops of sepia ink in order to give birth to it and appear the geography of chance . The stained surfaces thus revealed in their suggestive appearances offer multiple configurations so that the spectator, who has become a medical patient, appropriates them and interprets them as Rorschach tests.

In addition to this geography of chance, the texts of the medicinal notices are written with extreme rigor, listing and mentioning all the prescribed information.

Everything makes sense in this contrast of conscientious precision in the face of the randomness of the chemical incident. A confrontation that would like, through its provocative assembly, to offer the spectator the capacity to carry out, through his intimate analysis, an “effervescent” vision.

Claude Courtecuisse, March 2019.

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