SIMON DOUCET

EDUCATION

2005 – 2006Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, D E A - Research, Organizational Management & Strategy

1989 – 1992 Ecole supérieure de Commerce d'Amiens Picardie, Accounting and Finance

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BIOGRAPHY

Simon Doucet was born in France in 1968 and started studying sculpture from a young age, at the Atelier Potager Du Dauphin, in Meudon, near Paris. For several years, he dedicated time to the Fondation Jean Arp, helping the curator to welcome visitors. After an international career in finance, first as a manager and later as a professor, he pursued his interest in sculpture and worked for some years at the Atelier Terre Et Feu in Lille, France, before integrating into Manhattan's famous Art Students League, in New York City in 2009.

While there, he worked on developing his style with the help of the skilled and attentive Jonathan Shahn, Anthony Antonios, Seiji Saito, Gary Sussman, Leonid Brener, Stephen Mader and Elizabeth Allison. With the help of Greg Wyatt, he later learnt the techniques of Bronze Casting at the prestigious Modern Art Foundry.

 

Simon's artwork distinguishes itself through its semi abstract research. Indeed, he approaches the timeless debate of Art's modernity by striking an unexpected balance between his classical, emblematic muses and cutting-edge elements. He handpicks in the deconstruction hints to question mainstream art and adds touches of singularity in his work. Some figurative sculptures, made through a process using clay then direct plaster and aluminum mesh panels, question the role of garment as both a protective outfit from the external world and a sensitive caress for the mind, destined to help the true self burst out from its chrysalis. In The Torso Series, the shape evolves, becoming increasingly elusive. The missing head questions the centrality of the flesh, strained between solace and desire.

 

Possible similarities can be found between Simon Doucet’s sculptures and that of masters such as Moore, and especially Arp for his human based stylized body. The use of curved formal shapes also brings to mind artists such as Noguchi or Serra. Influenced by the architect Gehry and the fashion artist Alexander McQueen, the artist attaches particular importance to incorporating extravaganza to art pieces defined in fluid shapes.

 

Simon Doucet was awarded the ASL Merit Scholarship in 2015 for his semi abstract work. He is currently the monitor of the Art Students League stone sculpture studio and is represented by the Gallery D’arte, in Chelsea, New York.

 

Artist Statement

Experiencing art should be simple. But it isn’t. It requires time, dedication, reflection, and patient nurturing. It requires a spirit of discovery and wonder. Sometimes, it also means being prepared to accept disappointment But it is never effortless. This is why I would like to offer my warm and sincere thanks to everyone who comes to see this show. Indeed, effort must be rewarded. And sharing common artistic sensibilities must always be celebrated.

 

Appreciating sculpture is a lifelong experience. I got the opportunity to get involved with it at a very early age, when I was five years old. I remember the smell of wet clay in a studio, the excitement of feeling the terra cotta taking shape in my hands, and finally the simple but deep joy of being able to create. Years later, I would understand that seeing my fragile pieces carefully displayed along pieces made by adults meant that we are all made out of the same mold. We can enjoy art in the same way as kids do.  

 

When I was a teenager, I lived rue des Châtaigniers (Chestnut Tree Street) in Meudon in the near outskirt of Paris, 50 yards away from the studio of the master Jean Arp, and his brilliant spouse and artist, Sophie Tauber. My parents became very good friends with the then curator, Greta Stroh. And this is how I fell in love with sculpture. Wandering around the organic masterpieces of the artist was a thought-provoking experience, a genuine revelation. I discovered that sculptures are not only fun and enjoyable but can also be sensual and voluptuous.

 

Now, sharing views with collectors, friends or students, I would definitely argue that sculpture is also intellectually fulfilling. There is no doubt that our ancestors were artists who started carving magnificent pieces thousands of years ago. New materials and devices give us tremendous opportunities to explore further our human creativity. But the power of sculpture to bring us together goes back to the dawn of history and will endure for centuries to come. It is about finding the soul of our humanity and shaping the language to express it.

 

Careers

Monitor

Art Students League of New York

    September 2014 – Present (1 year 8 months)

    Art Teacher, Stone Carving

    Part Time Finance Professor

Parsons University

   September 2011 – Present (4 years 8 months)

   Finance, Business Models and Planning

 

Awards

2016

Annual Sculpture Show Winner at Art Students League of New York

2015

Merit Scholarship Winner Category, Semi Abstract at Art Students League of NY

Fantasy-Fountain Grant Residency Award For Bronze Casting at the prestigious Modern Art Foundry, New York

2014

Fantasy-Fountain Grant Award at Residency Grant For Bronze Casting

Blue Dote Award at Art Students League Best Stone Sculptures

Blue Dote Award at Art Students League Best Casting Sculptures

2013

Blue Dote Award at Art Students League Best Casting Sculptures

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