Recognizable by his unique style and his precise line, Marc-Antoine Coulon works for the biggest names in haute couture and the international press. After his Nude ink with Jacques Herbin last month, the star illustrator is today launching 'Paris', his book of illustrations, in partnership with Éditions Flammarion. In this glamorous and evocative book – the first devoted to his work – the artist celebrates fashion, the spirit and Parisian chic. Like an irreverent and colorful promenade, we discover over the pages, portraits of famous personalities, others more personal as well as sketches of parades and Parisian places that are dear to him. In a few brushstrokes, he captures its essence in a very elegant way, like his touch, sensitive and insolent... Meeting with this genius artist who will exhibit his works from October 23rd at Pierre Passebon, at the Vero-Dodat Gallery.
You have just published 'Paris', a new book which presents a synthesis of your work. Who is he talking to ?
M-AC: Everyone! If art is studied, it is also tasted even if we know nothing about it. In this book, the only real text is the sublime preface by Inès de la Fressange. I wanted to offer an image walk in my Paris, through known or more secret places, portraits of Parisian icons or strangers, fashion... I thus sowed my little white pebbles, suggested so that the reader can imagine his own story. It's always very important for me to leave room for the reader, like when we receive people at home.
A book, collaborations with the biggest press titles, the world of entertainment and fashion... But where do you draw all these inspirations?
M-AC: Almost everywhere, to be honest. I draw all the time and I'm always looking for new leads, in the street, in the music I hear, in the cracks on the walls… Frustration is also a good driving force. We are rarely completely satisfied with what we create. So we still create to reduce frustration. This virtuous circle is often very productive.
At a time of permanent sharing on social networks, why this desire to publish a book?
M-AC: They are two completely different things. Social networks give us information immediately available, abundant but also quite cold and dematerialized. The book is a sensual, physical experience, a presence. I like to breathe in the smell of paper, to feel the grain of the pages under my fingers. My apartment is full of books without which I wouldn't know how to grow old… Book time does not have the same value as social media time.
Are you a Paris lover?
M-AC: How not to be in love with Paris? I never tire of the varied beauty of this city. At every street corner you can find a different atmosphere. I like strolling among booksellers, seeing exhibitions, meeting friends on the terrace… It's a city of the present. The past and the future meet there, there is always something going on! And then we also find there what we bring there.
What is the Parisian district where you prefer to stroll?
M-AC: I would say it's more of a journey, between Place du Châtelet and Place Saint Michel, or go up Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.
Are there places that particularly inspire you?
M-AC: The Seine, inevitably. I like its reflections at night, its bridges, its quays. I also really like the maze of streets around the Place Saint-André des Arts: it's so sweet to get lost!
And apart from drawing, what are your other passions?
M-AC: The music. I almost always work in music. I buy a lot of music too. For several years I played the violin, but unfortunately I no longer have time to practice.
Your return to school in 2019 was therefore marked by the release of your ink in collaboration with Jacques Herbin, but also your book. What are your future plans for 2020?
M-AC: At the end of the month, I will launch the book in New York and start a collaboration with the Pellegrino house that we will announce at Bergdorf Goodman. There will also be the Piste de la francophonie on TV5 monde, for which I created the logo and illustrated all the destinations. The rest is still secret, but there will be Italy, and a very pleasant summer on the Côte d'Azur...
'Paris' by Marc-Antoine Coulon, Editions Flammarion, €50. Available in bookstores and at the FNAC.
Exhibition of works by Marc-Antoine Coulon at Pierre Passebon, from Wednesday October 23 to Saturday November 16, 2019. 20/26 Vero-Dodat gallery 75001 Paris. 01 42 36 01 13
