Max Cartier. Man of stone

Discover works from the MAMAC collection on the Promenade du Paillon in Nice

Max Cartier, Homme de pierre, 1990

In the 1960s, Max Cartier discovered a passion for sculpture. From then on, he explored different materials and drew inspiration from a wide variety of everyday shapes such as chairs, shoes, masks and eggs. He crafted his works using poor or discarded materials such as plaster, scrap metal, ceramics and stone to create unique pieces featuring intertwined and entangled figures.

In 1989, the artist began a new series of sculptures entitled ‘Les hommes de pierre’ (Men of Stone). Max Cartier chose to express his emotions using powerful, rough and eternal materials, drawn from the depths of earth towards the light to embody monumental creatures representing strength and eternity.

These giants of stone and steel reflect the disembodied image of a future civilisation, while drawing their inspiration from the megaliths of prehistory and the statues of Easter Island. He said about them: ‘My men of stone and my men of iron are warriors of the impossible; even if they appear elementary, they possess within them the keys to the future’.

Max Cartier is a visual artist and actor. A sculptor associated with the École de Nice movement, he lives and works in Levens.
[MAMAC]