Martine Demal

Signs and Writings No. 2, 8.7 ft high abstract bronze sculpture, outdoor art

2009

With her contemporary sculptures, Martine Demal explores the different possibilities of bronze, pushing her chosen material to its limits while embarking on a journey of more than several decades toward self-realization and reflection. 

Born in 1948, Demal graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1970. The French artist's career began in graphic design and ceramics. However, she discovered a passion for sculpting after meeting celebrated French sculptor Louis Derbré. Derbré invited Demal to become his student, but she declined, insisting she had to find her own style.

Inspired by the human body, Demal initially worked with live models. “In a human body, you have a landscape, a painting, a volume; you have everything,” she said. As her sculpting process evolved, Demal’s human sculptures transformed from figurative to more abstract forms. 

From her workshop and atelier in Ivry-sur-Seine in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Demal continues to challenge herself, seeking to create bronze sculptures that represent power and strength and materialize as blocky, dense forms as well as slender human figures. The interplay of shadow and light is a recurring theme in her abstract and figurative sculptures such as In Line (1994), The Passage (1997) and Writing is a Journey (2018).

Demal regularly exhibits her works in solo and group shows in France and throughout Europe and has won numerous awards. These include the Louis Derbré Prize, the Jacqueline Thome-Patenôtre Prize, a medal awarded by the town of Garches and the Pierre Gianadda Foundation Award, presented by the Académie des Beaux-Arts — Institut de France.

On 1stDibs, find a range of Martine Demal sculptures.