Incollect Magazine - Issue 14

Incollect Magazine 77 says Anasthasia Millot, the French designer and fabricator of delicate and impeccably crafted sculptural furniture, which has attained cult-like status. “Sometimes the process begins with wax, but there are modifications, even during the 3D-computer rendering stage and on the final model. The piece is then molded in sand or wax, depending on the desired level of detail, and subsequently welded, whitened, chased, leather-clad, upholstered, or polished according to the final patina.” Sophistication is the word that comes to mind when you look at her designs. It derives from the finesse and adroitness of detailing as well as the intricacy and ingenuity of textures and finishes. She works in bronze, one of the hardest metals to shape, but makes the material appear light, fluid, and even dynamic with a perfection and effortlessness rarely found in contemporary design. Little wonder that Millot and her FODOR art foundry in Franche-Comté in rural eastern France fabricates in bronze for several top furniture designers, including Paul Mathieu, Patrick Naggar, and Elizabeth Garouste. Her inspiration, she says, often comes from nature around her, but her forms are as much geometric and symmetrical as they are curvaceous and fluid. Her studio is located within the foundry itself, where she works as part of a team, relying on each person’s expertise and skill to anticipate and solve issues arising at the different stages of creation. “We are not immune to technical challenges,” she says. “Bronze is an alloy, and An idea can come from a line drawn on paper, a curve I would like to rediscover, or a movement that I find elegant,” An exhibition of works by Anasthasia Millot at Valerie Goodman Gallery.