Through the ‘Eternal’ collection, the British artist Damien Hirst presents a series of motifs that can be read as emblematic of the cycle of life, rendered eternal in Lalique crystal.
In Eternal Belief, the cross, the centre of which is polished, reveals a collection of coloured drugs and capsules, recalling the Medicine Cabinets that Hirst has created throughout his career.
The artist has previously explained his interest in pharmaceuticals as deriving from seeing his mother in a pharmacy, and her unwavering trust in medicine being like that of religious faith.
Today, LALIQUE ART places the expertise of Lalique at the service of major contemporary artists, designers with flair, and cultural foundations; the aim is to create unique and exceptional works of art. LALIQUE ART offers artists new inspirations and motifs, using the interplay of light, transparency, colour and contours. This extraordinary encounter between art and crystal is giving rise to new forms of creative expression.
LALIQUE ART uses the lost-wax technique to realize certain exceptional works of art. This complex and sophisticated procedure was invented five thousand years ago in Ancient Egypt and is used in particular to create sculptures in bronze, as Auguste Rodin did in the late 19th century.
After modelling a work in wax, it is encased in refractory plaster, then the whole piece is fired in a furnace, melting the wax in the interior; finally, molten glass or crystal is poured into the hollow space remaining.
Each piece is unique. But because of the imprint left in plaster, several castings can be made based on the original wax model. This long, delicate and arduous lost-wax process is unmatched in allowing fine details to be brought to light, creating a unique texture akin to a “crystal skin”.
