The Fondation Etrillard launches the ‘‘Âmes d'Œuvres’’ competition.
This new competition promotes the creativity, innovation, and know-how of craftspeople, while encouraging interdisciplinarity.
To participate in this new award, candidates must reinterpret one of the key pieces in the Fondation Etrillard’s collection, by imagining an original work, according to pre-established criteria. For this first edition 2023-24, the chosen piece is an exceptional armchair: La Bergère du débotté.
The winner will produce his or her creation, which will be exhibited and become part of the Fondation Etrillard's collection.
Miguel Pérez de Guzmán
+33.6.13.22.72.24 / +41.22.318.59.53
miguel.perezdeguzman@fondationetrillard.com
Why did the Fondation Etrillard decide to create this new competition?
Following the success of the Natural Heritage Prize, the Board of the Foundation decided to create a second award. The choice of the arts and crafts field was quickly obvious: the Foundation's collection is the basis for supporting the transmission of know-how. The Craft Competition was born of this idea.
Miguel Pérez de Guzman - General Delegate of the Fondation Etrillard
What makes the Âmes d'Œuvres Craft Competition different from other prizes dedicated to the world of arts and crafts?
We took the time to take stock of a large number of existing competitions and prizes in different areas of contemporary creation. The fact that this competition is based directly on works of art in a collection - which the candidates are invited to reinterpret - seems to us to be an element that sets it apart from other awards.
Of all the works in the Foundation's collection, why did you choose the Bergère du débotté for this first edition of the competition?
We felt it was perfectly suited to the spirit of the competition: it's a unique work in the history of chairmaking, and of exceptional craftsmanship. So it's both highly innovative and perfectly rooted in the tradition of French craftsmanship.
How does reinterpreting a work of art fit in with the Foundation's leitmotiv?
The Fondation Etrillard's mission is to highlight the relevance of our European cultural heritage in the contemporary world. We are keen to encourage the rediscovery of works and the transmission of knowledge and skills that are sometimes neglected. This rediscovery also involves reinterpreting works of art from a new angle, calling on today's creators. It's a particularly rich dialogue, because it opens the door to transmission and innovation.