Philippe Hiquily

Philippe Hiquily was a French artist who played a significant role in shaping the landscape of contemporary sculpture. With a career spanning over six decades, his work features a distinctive blend of innovation, formal simplicity and playful aesthetic. His sculptures, produced using iron, brass or steel, embody movement and sensual curves, alluding to anthropomorphic details, organic forms and insect physiognomy.

Hiquily was born on March 27, 1925, in Paris, France. After a brief period at the School of Fine Arts in Orléans, Hiquily’s life took a turn during World War II. At the age of 18, he actively participated in the French resistance against the Nazi occupation, fighting alongside his father, who played a prominent role in the movement.

After the war, and despite his father’s wishes for him to pursue a career in engineering, Hiquily enrolled at the Beaux-Arts School of Paris, where he dedicated himself to the study and practice of sculpture. During this time, Hiquily found himself amidst a vibrant artistic community, meeting prominent figures like Jean Tinguely and Germaine Richier. These encounters influenced his artistic development, exposing him to diverse aesthetics and practices.

In the 1950s, Hiquily’s began a period of artistic experimentation, with him drawing inspiration from sources like Greek art, prehistory and archaeology. He created mobile sculptures that incorporated movement and explored the use of different materials, which balanced abstract and figurative elements, combining lightness of forms with symbolic representations.

In 1959, Hiquily’s talent was recognised when he received the Critic’s Prize for his sculpture at the Paris Biennial, an award that cemented his reputation as a rising star in the art scene. The same year, Hiquily had the opportunity to present his work at The Contemporaries, a prominent New York-based gallery. The exhibition was an astounding success, with every artwork being swiftly acquired by enthusiastic collectors.

During his stay in New York, he forged valuable connections with influential figures in the local art world, including the likes of Leo Castelli, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Marie Sol, Jasper Jones, Jack Kerouac and many others. This network of artists and collectors nurtured his artistic growth and provided a platform for further exploration.

During the 1960s, Hiquily’s style became more provocative and focused on erotic themes. His sculptures, generally made of sheet metal and brass, depicted sexualised figures, often blending elements of humans and insects. Hiquily incorporated everyday objects into his artwork, creating a juxtaposition between fine art and the mundane.

In his later works, Hiquily continued to explore movement in his sculptures, drawing inspiration from artists like Alexander Calder. He incorporated mechanical elements and created balanced compositions that captured the essence of movement and duration.

Hiquily’s artistic journey came to a close on his 88th birthday on March 27, 2013, when he passed away in Villejuif, France. However, his legacy lives on through his ground-breaking artworks, which are displayed in prestigious institutions worldwide. Notably, his works can be found in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Montreal, among others. These institutions recognise the significance of Hiquily’s contributions to the art world and the lasting impact of his stylised, highly symbolic sculptures.