Alexandre Logé is a French designer whose know-how and talent have been proven. Passionate and driven by art, he feeds himself – in addition to creation – by collecting. Expert in tribal art, he gleans with passion unique pieces. Pieces, acquired or created, which he now exhibits in his new gallery apartment. Signatures Singulières Magazine takes you to discover this outstanding address.
Above: Alexandre Logé in his Parisian gallery.
Alexandre Logé, taming bronze and plaster
A French designer with recognized expertise, Alexandre Logé developed a precocious taste for materials. He discovered bronze and plaster in his uncle’s workshop at the Serpette market. As a teenager, he went there every Sunday and saw a growing interest in materials and art, and it was only natural that he should take the path of creation and design. He entered the Pantheon Sorbonne University and graduated with a degree in Plastic Art and Art History. Alexandre Logé added traveling to the school grounds. He traveled around the world and visited, at each step, museums, art and antique dealers, markets…
Discovering, and nurturing himself, is part of his construction. In France, he surveys the flea market. With renowned antique dealers of the Paul Bert Market, he familiarizes himself with art while training himself in modeling and molding. At the same time, he diligently visited the auction rooms of Drouot and acquired his first tribal works. Another passion that drives him.
Alexandre Logé, French designer and collector of tribal art
We know him for his plaster chandeliers created especially for Alexandre Biaggi or his bronzes that can be seen in Peter Marino’s interiors. But the designer Alexandre Logé also creates other lights and furniture such as the “Yali” wall lamp, the “Théa” lamp, the “Atlante” bench, the “Arbre” and “Frégate” consoles, the “Nazca” mirror or the “Kheops” console that combines Japanese curves, Scandinavian legs and straw inlay signed by Lison de Caunes. And since he never quits, he continues his very elective collaborations with the Chevalier gallery and soon with Ralph Pucci.
Creative, Alexandre Logé is also a collector. A collector of art deco, modern art, and tribal art for over 20 years. His artistic education and his multiple experiences allow him to unearth original pieces. His collection includes a “Dans” mask from the Ivory Coast, as well as pieces from Papua New Guinea, ancient Japanese ceramics, a rare abstract sculpture in alabaster by the Franco-Israeli artist Achiam, and contemporary ceramics by Jean Girel and Joris Grelet.
Alexandre Logé inaugurates his gallery in the heart of Paris
Alexandre Logé now wishes to share his universe, to set up a conversation between the rare works he has meticulously found and his own creations. To do this, the designer has taken the step of opening his gallery-apartment in his Saint-Denis workshop. A showroom located not far from the Champs-Elysées, in the 8th district of Paris. In a very personal approach, he reveals his collections, his inspirations and his new and old creations. By juxtaposing his collection and his creations, the artist-artisan shares what drives him artistically. A beautiful breakthrough in the universe of Alexandre Logé that Signatures Singulières Magazine invites you to discover.
Interview with Alexandre Logé
Designer and founder of this eponymous gallery
Where did this love for plaster and bronze come from?
Alexandre Logé : I discovered these two fabulous materials, plaster and bronze, when I was a teenager and we used to go with our family on Sundays to visit my uncle and his partner who had just moved to the Serpette market. I was instantly seduced by their creations using these two mediums with audacity and secretly dreamed one day of following in their tracks.
What do plaster and bronze represent for you?
Alexandre Logé : I would be tempted to say that they are two sides of the same medal, even if this is not entirely true. Plaster is the sculptor’s favorite material for me. It is a fabulous material that starts out as a powder, once added to water becomes, over a period of time, endlessly moldable and plastic. Finally, it becomes as hard as rock, but still modifiable and sculptable under the effect of the file or the tool. As for bronze, it is for me a sublimation of plaster, since it often comes from a plaster model but offers an additional dimension by the richness and depth of its countless possible patinas and finishes.
Can you imagine creating with other materials?
Alexandre Logé : The desire to explore other materials to develop new creations was born with the recent collection that we offer in this new Parisian space, notably the Naxos lamp in alabaster and brass. This direction is also confirmed with the collection I am currently developing for Ralph Pucci in New York with pieces covered in colored parchment or a large mirror in anodized aluminum.
How did this passion for collecting tribal art begin?
Alexandre Logé : After 5 years of studying ancient paintings in my art history course or contemporary artworks during my plastic arts degree, the discovery of primitive art one day while wandering around a flea market, then at Drouot, was like a revelation and a breath of fresh air for me! The genius of these anonymous creators continues to fascinate me today.
What is your most beautiful piece? A dream piece?
Alexandre Logé : Always the last one (laughs)! In this case, a fantastic ceramic by Joris Grelet, a young ceramic artist with whom we recently signed a partnership and whose latest creations will be presented in the gallery during an upcoming exhibition, in resonance with my work. A dream piece? Without hesitation a Merzbau collage by Kurt Schwitters or one of the rare wood sculptures by Karl Schmidt Rottluff.
©Romain Ricard
Galerie Alexandre Logé
58 rue de Courcelles
75008 Paris
contact@alexandreloge.com
alexandreloge.com
