FRUITFUL COLLABORATIONS WITH CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS
The Art studios collection of casts has always been a powerful source of inspiration for contemporary artists who have been increasingly entrusting this casting pro- cess to the Rmn - Grand Palais artisans for their own works. Thus, Daniel Arsham placed his trust in them for the entire production of the "Paris 3020" exhibition at the Galerie Perrattan, with numerous orders ensuing to satisfy the appetite of the artists collectors. The Studios have thus made every effort to respond to this demand despite the difficulties caused by the health crisis, prob- lems in sourcing certain materials and the need to reor- ganize workplaces to give the artisans the highest level of protection as possible.
In 2020, the new Louvre Chalcography selection com- mittee, composed of members of the Louvre museum, the Ecole des Arts Déco, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and the Rmn - Grand Palais, had active discus- sions to propose collaboration projects with artists from all walks of life with all sorts of talents over the coming years. The artisans in the intaglio workshop helped experi- enced artists and young talents alike with their creations. Jean-Michel Othoniel's work the Rose du Louvre, was finalised in October. Annette Messager and Rosanna Lefeuvre's works were started.
MORE POWERFUL DIGITAL PERFORMANCE
The Art studios website offers the studios exposure to an ever increasing number of individuals, decorators, architects, museums and art schools. In 2020, more than 1,000 inquiries were recorded, leading to some 100 or- ders. A large number of online orders for Marianne busts came from French municipalities. By working ever more closely with marketing teams, the Art studios also contributed to one third of the perfor- mance of the boutiquesdemusees.fr e-commerce site, by optimising the product sheets. By continually and regularly adding new prints to the collection (due to a massive digitisation campaign in collaboration with the photo agency) the ever expanding collection has been further enhanced, contributing to a 60% increase in sales on the site over 2019. As for casting series, the launch of new or exceptional limited editions boosted sales by more than 40%: exam- ples are the Démon Pazuzubronze carried out in collab- oration with the Paris Mint workshops or reductions of Michelangelo's Slaves from 3D files.
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