In April 2019, as French designer Guillaume Bardet was putting the finishing touches on his exhibition at Galerie Kreo, Notre Dame was engulfed in flames. Five years later, the iconic cathedral is rising from the ashes, with Bardet himself behind the design and creation of its new liturgical objects. From the baptismal font to the chalice—crafted in bronze, silver and gold—these pieces will radiate a distinctly modern elegance. This is not a miracle, but rather the culmination of Bardet’s personal journey, defined by resilience and humility. Known for taking on ambitious, groundbreaking projects—such as Immobile Furniture, The Use of Days, The Fabric of the Present and The Last Supper—he has continually pushed the boundaries of design.
In parallel with his work for Notre Dame, Bardet unveils a new collection at the contemporary design gallery in Paris, France. Comprising eighteen pieces developed over five years, this body of work, on view from 6 December 2024 - 25 January 2025, reflects the artist's solitary journey while embracing a new era of bronze, coinciding with the cathedral’s opening last month. The objects and furniture designs in the solo exhibition evoke a raw, dreamlike quality, capturing the essence of objects in a world rife with fear and uncertainty.
In his studio in Dieulefit (Drôme), some works lingered, waiting to discover their final form and spirit. They ‘conversed’ with each other, unfolding like an intimate diary—a dynamic narrative that mirrored Bardet’s own inner restlessness—until they finally took shape and revealed their true essence.
At the design exhibition, one must first encounter La Promenade, a lamp design with two legs, its face gleaming in polished golden bronze—playful and lighthearted. Then, there is Georges, a bench-umbrella that seems to whisper the tunes of Brassens, standing in quiet anticipation, as though waiting for something to unfold. The Single Leg Table, a mass seemingly suspended in mid-air, traces its origins to Bardet’s early experiences with marble at the Villa Medici. The Ladder, reimagined as both a lamp and a functional art object, was originally a commission from Galerie Kreo, but Bardet transformed it, linking it deeply to his personal library and chair. Finally, there are the totems—silent, luminous presences that evoke both mystery and reverence.
As Galerie Kreo puts it, “These pieces, poetically functional, are as formally simple as they are complex, slow to take shape in the foundries. ‘Bronze stops time,’ Bardet rejoices. ‘It’s a material that expresses power, the power to tame chaos, to distance oneself through art. Each piece supports a state of mind.’ Balancing the strength of bronze with the fragility of the world, Bardet plays with halos of light that evoke the fleeting magic of dawn and dusk.”
“During a visit to the Soulages Museum in Rodez last summer, Bardet stood before Outrenoir and felt, in that moment, that his work exists in Outre Temps—Beyond Time. ‘I have been weaving the same thread for a long time: I work alone, and my projects are intertwined. It is a kind of immutable time, beyond past and future. This is different from design, which lives in the ultra- present.’ Anchored in the ancient art of bronze, Bardet’s work is narrative rather than decorative, with no filter between his existence and his creations. His references are his life itself— from pallor to incandescence. This exhibition forms a new choral portrait of the creator, one that will resonate with the splendor of Notre-Dame,” the project’s press release mentions.
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