ANTOINE DUFILHO
A sculptor of speed and futuristic élan
Born in 1987, Antoine Dufilho is an architect by training and a sculptor by vocation, with a marked passion for futurism! The nephew of the famous actor Jacques Dufilho, he is himself a painter, sculptor, aesthete and undisputed Bugatti aficionado. Lulled from an early age by his family's passion for sports cars and their undeniable mechanical beauty, Antoine is a self-taught artist who has chosen to devote himself to the purification of legendary and exclusive car models, transforming them into series of varied interpretations.
These car models, fashioned from hammered and welded aluminium plates and adorned with personalised paintwork, are veritable expressions of speed, with their oval wheels evoking the effect produced by the photographic shutter of yesteryear, giving the work an impression of perpetual motion. What's so interesting about this representation? It has the gift of lightening the models, while preserving an authentic automotive morphology, and introduces a complex vision of multiple new curves.
Taken as a whole, Dufilho's work is reminiscent of the mechanical art of a car's engine or grille. For the viewer, it is a singular perception of the model from different points of view. Moreover, by incorporating all aspects of modernity into his work, particularly through his choice of materials, Antoine Dufilho invites us to reflect on technology, art and contemporary aesthetics.
Two monumental works at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Antoine Dufilho has a passion for motorcycles, and he caused a sensation at the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours with two works that caused quite a stir: sculpted racing cars that appear to be speeding along, even when stationary! It's not the first time the Lille-based sculptor has done this: back in 2021 in Lille, he surprised everyone with his Porsche 911 transformed into a honeycomb made of stainless steel tubes. And in 2022, it was at the French F1 Grand Prix, with an F1 car that, despite weighing 1.5 tonnes, seemed light as a feather.
For the centenary of Le Mans, Antoine Dufilho presented two monumental pieces. Firstly, his Porsche 910, nicknamed the 'Chameleon' for its paintwork that changes colour from yellow to blue, depending on where you stand. Then there's his version of the 1967 Ferrari 330 P4, already on show at Le Touquet. Here, around a hundred sheets of aluminium play with light and space, creating a hallucinating effect of speed. The plates, arranged to give the impression of movement, transform the sculpture into a living work of art, ready to pounce.
A stainless steel Porsche 911 in Lille for Art Up!
For the 2021 edition of the Art Up! contemporary art fair, Antoine Dufilho has surprised everyone with a completely reinvented version of the Porsche 911 in stainless steel tubes. After winning over the public with his reproduction of the Ferrari 330 P4 for the 2020 edition, Dufilho has returned with a grandiose work despite the cancellation of the event in 2021.
Antoine Dufilho used around 150 pieces of tube, cut and arranged to capture the essence of the 911's speed. The slightly oval wheels add to this dynamic impression. And to top it all off, from certain angles, the sculpture reveals a surprising honeycomb pattern.
