RICHARD ORLINSKI ©

RICHARD ORLINSKI

Richard Orlinski, a French sculptor born in Paris in 1964, is in the top 10 best-selling French artists in the world (in 2014, he sold a work for 15 million euros) and is ranked 121st in the global auction ranking distributed by Artprice. His striking and colorful works have met with global success. For several years, Richard Orlinski has created his own universe with animals that fascinate him: crocodiles, panthers, wolves, bears and kongs are part of his concept called "Born Wild". Strongly influenced by Pop Art, the artist creates works related to the world of wildlife (the wolf, the tiger, the bear, the lion and the T-rex) and fashion (pairs of jeans, leather jackets and stilettos). I want to reach everyone," he explains. He plays with the proportions of the animals and thus aims to animate them with the strength, ferocity and power that characterize wild beasts: "I play with the shapes, I change them. I modify their forms according to my vision" "I am always looking for perfection. I like it when a sculpture is perfectly finished and completed." Richard Orlinski is never short of ideas and likes to create constantly. He uses different materials such as aluminum, resin, glass and bronze; pop sculptures and graffiti-covered artworks have been added to his bestiary, unique works inspired by the spirit of street art that are hugely successful. After studying in Neuilly-sur-Seine , he obtained a bachelor's degree in economics, then a Deug at the University of Paris-1 and joined the Institut de management international de Paris . After several professions and practicing art as an amateur, he decided to devote himself completely to art in the early 2000s. He left his professional duties and worked for two years before presenting his first sculpture to the public in 2004. Galleries then begin to take an interest in his work. He exhibits in Aspen in the United States or in Val-d'Isère and Courchevel. He exhibits at the Fiac in Paris in 2006. He also collaborates with the chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin, the chef Frederic Anton, the crystal Daum, the goldsmith Christofle. One of his works appears at the headquarters of Twitter France. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Disneyland Paris, the artist created an exclusive piece depicting Mickey Mouse as a sorcerer's apprentice. In 2017, he worked with French pastry chef Yann Couvreur for the Salon du chocolat but also with fashion brand The Kooples. According to Le Quotidien de l'Art , Richard Orlinski is "little known in the specialized art press " , on the other hand he appears "often in generalist magazines, particularly for decoration" . The artist, in fact, despite his commercial success, is little present in fairs, exhibitions and collections of the most influential museums. In an interview with L'Express, the artist explains that "when this little world hears my name mentioned, it rolls its eyes [...] The only time I was able to exhibit at Fiac was through a charity. [...] And, after two days, the curator of the exhibition asked me to pack my bags. I know I am ostracized by a certain part of the establishment but I consider myself happy to be both popular and loved. Many celebrities and business people own one of his sculptures: Sharon Stone, Paul McCartney, Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep, Andy Garcia, Richard Branson, David Guetta, Tony Parker and Omar Sy, among others.