The techniques used to carve blocks of stone today have changed only slightly since the times of our ancestors. Jean wanted to return to ancient methods of stone sculpture, starting with the inner curve and working outwards to the rest of the piece. The final shape was inspired by the initial size of the white Carrara marble block, which evoked the image of a gliding bird.
45 cm
65 cm
22 cm
© Jean Briac Ravello
© All rights reserved
© All rights reserved
© All rights reserved
© All rights reserved
Jean Briac
- Stone sculptor
- Barcelona, Spain
- Master Artisan
Contact
Spanish, English, French
Hours:
By appointment only
By appointment only
Phone:
+34 644764731
+34 644764731
© All rights reserved
When marble comes to life
- • Jean's marble sculptures are unusually light and thin
- • He is inspired by nature and the animal world
- • He has worked on the Sagrada Família
A stone sculptor of more than 20 years' experience, Jean Briac's preferred material is marble. Born in France but based in Barcelona, he favours local types of marble and never ceases to be captivated by their colours, hues, textures and versatility. Jean sculpts this material into geometric shapes, creating an unusual lightness and delicacy. He may start with a single block which could weigh more than 150kg; through effort and painstaking work, he will shape it into a bowl or a sculpture weighing only 6-9kg. He likes to investigate new ways of expressing his work, and is currently experimenting with the reaction of acids with marble, looking to achieve the effect of natural erosion.
Read the full interviewWorks
Photo: © Jean Briac Ravello
White Feather Bowl
Photo: © Jean Briac Ravello
Planet
This carved bowl was made from a block of Montjuic sandstone, from the hill that stands on the outskirts of Barcelona, just ten minutes from the city centre. Montjuic has supplied the city with building material since ancient times until the quarry closed in the 1970s. It features a wide range of colours, from yellow to pink to beige, with veins in darker shades.
Height 12 cm
Diameter 48 cm
Photo: © Jean Briac Ravello
Coral Bowl
This bowl was carved from pristine white Carrara marble with no impurities or veins. The immaculately polished interior contrasts with the rough-textured exterior. To achieve the outer surface, Jean used stonework techniques based exclusively on geometry: before cutting the marble, he used compasses and square rulers to carry out the measurements. Nevertheless, the piece is evocative of organic forms such as seashells.
Height 13 cm
Diameter 26 cm
Photo: © Jean Briac Ravello
Pyrite Bowl
Sculpted from a single block of black Calatorao marble from Spain, this vessel presents two distinct features. The dark, round polished upper part of the bowl contrasts with the lower, angular section in a lighter grey. Two types of natural geological formations inspired this work, one being the crystallisation of quartz, the second referring to the cubic shape of pyrite crystals, almost too perfect and square to be natural.
Height 25 cm
Diameter 50 cm
Photo: © Jean Briac Ravello
Network Bowl
A recurrent theme in Jean’s recent work is maintaining a minimum quantity of material while expressing a similar shape. This bowl, an open network of marble rings merging into one another, is an example of this type of minimalism. The result of these experiments is a visually lighter bowl with complex geometrical interplay.
Height 15 cm
Diameter 40 cm
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