Creator, Artist, Sculptor

Biodata - Nicolas Lavarenne

Born: October 2, 1953, Chamelières, France

Education: Technical Baccalaureate in mechanical design

Exhibitions: Dozens across Europe, the Middle East and North America

Recognition: 1998 - Public Prize, Antibes; 1993 - First Prize Sculpture, Tende; 1993 - First Prize Sculpture, Beaulieu sur Mer; 1990 - Public Prize, Nice; 1987 - First Prize Sculpture, Brignoles; 1984 - Public Prize, Nice

One late summer day, the WIPO Magazine and WIPO Multimedia team loaded up cameras and equipment and headed out to interview the sculptor Nicolas Lavarenne in Seyssel, France, a remote mountain village which once marked the border between France and Italy. We almost missed his workshop: a run-down building, hidden behind a grocer's parking lot.

But on crossing the threshold, we entered Ali Baba's cave. Mr. Lavarenne's art - wood, plaster, wax and bronze sculptures in various stages of progress - was everywhere: on the floor, worktables and shelves, and hanging from the ceiling, walls and staircases. There were even sculptures hanging from sculptures. A motorcycle, hand- drawn doodles, posters from exhibitions and other objects littered the room. We did not know where to turn, what to look at first. We wandered from one object to another fascinated and eager to find out how such a slight, self-effacing man could have created such works. Our cameras turning, he told us his story.

"Sculpture fell on me"

To hear Mr. Lavarenne tell it, he was walking around, minding his own business, when "Sculpture 'fell' on me." He cannot otherwise explain it. His father was an oil painter, but Mr. Lavarenne did not have that calling. He studied mechanical design and worked for a few years in the motorcycle industry before getting bored. "I asked myself 'What am I good at? What do I like doing?' Looking back, I realized I could draw, I could do whatever I wanted with my hands."

"I chose to do manual work. For ten years I sculpted decorations for furniture. Then one day I was doodling as usual when I made a little drawing and decided to sculpt it in wood. When I finished I looked at it and thought 'What is this? What use is it?'" Until then, Mr. Lavarenne had always sculpted on order for pay, precisely following the instructions he was given. He had never even...