Morgan Courtois

Mainly a sculptor, even if certain research leads him, to the field of image, Morgan Courtois aims to express, through his work, the potential of materials that is at once pathetic, sumptuous and delicate. His use of plaster, clay or resin is frequently subjected to disruptions which, in addition to altering the stability of his objects, give them an ambiguous status, blurring the line between the inert and the living. Inspired not only by the rhythm but also by the functional properties of plants, the artist also creates perfumes whose composition evokes poetic connections between materials, incidents and sensations.Morgan Courtois' latest sculptures in plaster or ceramic are based on photographs taken by the artist, historical sculptures of male nudes and the erotic images of Vincenzo Galdi and Baron von Gloeden in early twentieth century Italy. Morgan Courtois, who often describes his practice as naturalist, explores an affective geography of representations, influenced by a social and artistic history of forms. These last works mix an abstract minimalism with a sensual, decorative and theatrical figuration.

Courtois (b. 1988, Abbeville, France) lives and works in Paris. He graduated from École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Lyon in 2012. A recipient of the Meurice Prize for Contemporary Art in 2017, he completed a residency at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam in 2018. His work has been featured in solo exhibitions at Fondation Pernod Ricard (Paris, 2022); Rijksakademie (Amsterdam, 2019); Passerelle Centre d’art contemporain (Brest, 2018); and Balice Hertling Gallery (Paris, 2016). Over the years, he has participated in group exhibitions at Collection Lambert (Avignon, 2024); Balice Hertling (Paris, 2022, 2021, and 2016); Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (Paris, 2021); Lustwarande (Tilburg, 2019); and Fondation Louis Vuitton (Paris, 2018), among others. His work was also presented at the Lyon Biennial in 2022 and the Geneva Biennial of Sculpture in 2020.