French born Nicola L. (that's right, just an L. for the last name) is a conceptual artist who creates everything from performances, films and functional art. Having had a hugely prolific career for over five decades, she has shown in many galleries and has a clear affinity for heads, eyes and snails as you can see from some of her functional art pieces I've chosen to share with you below. Some of the following pieces were created as editions and may still be available for purchase via the galleries listed at the end of this post.
Heads:
above: plexi head fish tank
above: head aquarium and bar
above: detail
above: head library
above: wooden head bookcase
above: green head sofa
above: white vinyl head sofa
above: little heads tables
above: plexi head planter
above: giant head fountain
above: little fire head
above: giant fire head
above: the 12 faces rug
Eyes:
above: plexi eye ceiling lamp
above: Glass eye coffee table
above: large plexi eye wall lamp
above: plexi eye wall lights and lips floor lamp
Snails:
above: snail birdcage
above: blue snail sofa
above: snail wardrobe cabinet
above: snail table on snail rug
above: snail bed reflected in snail mirror
The artist:
A bit about her:
In the thirty years since her first exhibitions, Nicola L. has returned to the body on numerous occasions, producing extremely limited editions of lamps, see-through planters, aquariums, storage containers, tables, and her famous "Femme Commode" and "Femme Coffre Fort".
She had her first show at Daniel Templon Gallery Paris in 1969, followed by many exhibitions in european galleries and museums, with also a show in New York at Wadell Gallery in 1973. She moved to New York in 1979 where her functional work was featured between 1986 and 2004 in numerous galleries including: Alan Moss, Vrej Baghoomian, Peder Bonier, Wooster Projects and also recently at Twentieth Gallery in L.A. She is currently showing her work at Galerie Patricia Dorfmann, Galerie Pierre Alain Challier, and Galerie Catberro in Paris. Her last show in New York City was a retrospective at Ingrao Gallery in 2006.
Nicola’s work is frequently featured in auctions at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Bonhams & Butterfield. Her work is part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Beaubourg, Antwerpen Museum of Contemporary Art, The Museum of Modern Art of Glasgow, The Collection of The Frac Bretagne and many private American and European collections.
Recently, in 2008 she has had two shows in Paris, in April and May 2008, respectively, "Planet Eye" at Galerie Pierre Alain Challier, and "Functional Art 1989-2008" at Galerie Catberro, Paris.
above: THE RED COAT FOR 11 PEOPLE (1969) Last performance for Canal Plus+ at Galerie Favardin de Verneuil, Paris, Sept. 30th 2008
She is also continuing the performance with The Blue Cape, named now "The Blue Cape Of Human Rights".
The Book:
Buy it here
Learn more about Nicola here and see more of her work here.