Gonzague Mézin a creative director with a passion for the decorative arts of the eighteenth century.
After graduating from business school in Paris, he spent time working in arts insurance, auction houses and for a furniture restorer before resurrecting the celebrated Parisian company Lignereux in 2015.
Lignereux was originally established in 1781 (operating through to 1804) and produced and sold obje ts d’art from boutiques in Paris and London. Employing highly – skilled artisans, Lignereux specialised in the use of materials such as gilt – bronze ormolu, porcelain, marble and exotic woods. Luxurious works of art were purchased by the royal houses of Europe and George IV, Queen Marie – Antoinette, Czar Paul I of Russia and the Emperor Napoleon were all clients.
Original masterpieces from Lignereux now feature in the illustrious collections of the Louvre, Paris; the Palace of Versailles, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New york; the Royal Collection, London; the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg and major private collections.
Mézin’s revival of Lignereux sees him working closely with twenty – five specialist artisans across six ateliers in France and London. He believes that reviving Maison Lignereux has reinvented th e collective adventure of thinking and making art and envisages artistic creation as ongoing research, where innovation counts as much as tradition. His creations draw inspiration from both past masterpieces and from the world as it is today. His design process oscillates between synthesizing, projecting, challenging and overtaking historic shapes and materials.
“I believe beauty attracts and is the desire of mankind. By pursuing a quest for wonder, I wish to explore an enigma and to fulfill a profound yea rning as it appears to me that art, life and beauty are so intimately related.”
The Kubla Khan series is a collection of four, limited edition gilt – bronze and ceramic decorative sculptures. These beautifully finished works of art encapsulate key moments from Samuel Taylor – Coleridge’s famous Romantic poem, and are each the result of over 1,000 hours of design and craftsmanship.
Adrian Sassoon, who began his career as a specialist dealer in the field of eighteenth century French porcelain with royal patrona ge is also a fervent champion of some of today’s most ground – breaking artisans. With an eye for exquisite design and detail, Adrian Sassoon appreciates Mézin’s historically inspired motivations and shares his creative intentions.
At TEFAF Maastricht 2018, Adrian Sassoon ( the UK’s leading gallery for international contemporary works of decorative art) will present two works from the Kubla Khan series to their European audience for the first time.
Stand 269
Adrian Sassoon
14 Rutland Gate
London SW7 1BB
