Charles Paris, a French firm specialising in the creation and production of artistic and designer bronze pieces, has announced a two-part exhibition paying tribute to Chrystiane Charles (1927–2013) and Félix Agostini (1910–1980), two key figures in the history of the company and in the evolution of bronze as a sculptural language applied to contemporary objects.
The exhibition, presented as a journey between sculpture and design, offers an interpretation of the maison’s trajectory from a perspective linked to the continuity of the craft and the transformation of the decorative object into a piece with artistic merit.
The first part of the exhibition focuses on the work of Chrystiane Charles, renowned for developing botanical and sculptural works that influenced the firm’s identity, approaching plant forms not as an ornamental element, but as structure. Among the outstanding pieces are designs such as Ikebana, Voile, Gingko Biloba and Cythère, associated with an approach in which lighting takes on a sculptural presence.
The project also includes the first public presentation of two new creations—a console table and a mirror—designed by Olivia Putman for Charles Paris following the death of Chrystiane Charles, conceived as a contemporary extension of the maison’s legacy.
The second part is dedicated to Félix Agostini, a bronze sculptor who collaborated with the Giacometti brothers and developed his own style characterised by formal rigour. Charles Paris states that since 2013 he has held the exclusive rights to publish his work, with the aim of ensuring the continuity of his legacy through numbered and signed editions.
Beyond its cultural dimension, the exhibition focuses on the location from which the firm operates: the former match factories in Aubervilliers, a site linked to France’s industrial heritage that now serves as the maison’s production and creative base. This type of reuse of industrial spaces, increasingly common in the real estate market linked to cultural and creative uses, reinforces the appeal of peripheral locations integrated into metropolitan dynamics.
