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Profile of Mark Brazier-Jones
Born in New Zealand, Mark was at his happiest running
bare foot in the wild Eden like countryside. Sleeping outside, drinking
spring water and fishing for 'yabbies' to cook on the camp-fire. All
these elements made for a magical time and made Mark conscious of what surrounded
him and its place in the grand design of things.
In the 60's his family moved to London, adapted to city life
and found the urban jungle just as invigorating as the one they had left
behind. Mark hated school but he concentrated on art, which had always
come naturally to him. He qualified for Art College where he furthered
his knowledge of not only drawing but constructing three-dimensional sculptures.
It was now the late 70's and Mark's need to be creative was
the driving force that led him forward to the more immediate, hands on world of
set designing in the pioneering days of the music video industry. For
seven years he enjoyed working in the high pressure world of rock promo and TV
shows, and found he could be expressive on a grand scale.
The 80's arrived, Mark was still pursuing his own
experiments in art and it was at this time he first tried working with metal,
immediately he know he had found his medium. He loved the versatility and
strength of metal, it could be heated to melting point, beaten into fluid
scrolls, and he loved the natural patina of oxidized iron and the razor sharp
polished surface of aluminium. Mark bought himself a welder and taught
himself how to use it. Encouraged by the results, he rented his first
studio, sharing the space with two likeminded artists who also discovered the
delights of iron.
The next few months were spent exploring reclamation yards
for metal, which was hauled back to the studio and reformed and re-invented
into objects of use and beauty. The art establishment embraced 'Creative
Salvage', the movement that was being led by these new metal gurus'.
Inspired by the reception he received, Mark Brazier-Jones
began developing his functional art. He used his knowledge with clay to
sculpt table legs and chairs. These were then cast in bronze or
aluminium. He saw permanence in what he was creating and others saw that
these pieces would be heirlooms of the future and started investing in his
work.
Mark now lives and runs his studio in Hertfordshire from a
splendid 16th Century barn. He has become an influential and
internationally respected name in design.
Examples of his work are held in the permanent collections
of the Louvre, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Boston Museum of Modern
Art. His patrons list film and rock royalty to star entrepreneurs and
collectors from all over the world.
Today Mark is not that far removed from the bare footed boy
who sat for hours by a stream carving sticks in New Zealand. He still
makes time to appreciate the world around home and finds it a constant source of
inspiration.
"I am impressed by things that are built to last. An
engine that still does its work after 100 years, that excites me.
Something that is so good you never want to replace it; that is something
worthy of respect."
CLIENTS INCLUDE:
Karl Lagerfield. Brad Pitt. Sylvester Stallone. Ozwald
Boateng. Matt Dillon. Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis. Madonna. Janet
Jackson. Sir Elton John. Terrance Conran. Mick Jagger. Terence
Trent D'Arby. Simon & Yasmin Le Bon. Sally Buton. Nigel
Coates. Sir Bob Geldof. Hugh Padgham. Viscount Linley.
Sir Peter Osbourne. Sam Roddick. Dr Jean Louis Sebagh. Jospeh
Etdedjui. Lady Homer Alliance. Sir Alistair McAlpine.
Fancesca von Harpsburg. HRH Princess Sara A. Al-Failsal. Lady
Alia Forte. Dinny Hall. Salonge Azagury-Partridge.
BOOKS/FILMS:
Furniture. Carol Soucek. PBC Publications.
Baroque Baroque. Stephen Calloway. Phaidon Press.
Le Dictionnaire des Styles Decoratifs. Editions du Chene.
1000 Chairs. Benedict Taschen, Cologne.
Country Houses of Engalnd. Barbara & Rene Stoeltie.
In Touch. Kelly Hoppen.
Contemporary Glamour. Ali Hanan & Kate Dwyer Mitchell Beazley.
101 Dalmations.
The Glass Slipper.
Thunderbirds the Movie.
MUSEUMS:
Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
Musee de Louvre, Paris.
Museum of Modern Art. Boston, USA.
American Craft Musem, New York City.
Brooklyn Museum, New York City.
AUCTION HOUSES:
Sotherbys
Bonhams of London
Christies
Phillips of London & New York.
EXHIBITIONS:
London, Los Angeles, Berlin, Paris, New York, Tokyo, Monaco,
Stockholm, Hamburg, Miami, Hong Kong, Milan, Palm Springs, Barcelona,
Neuremburg, Rome, Sidney, Aukland, Lisbon, Shanghai, Lugano, Manila.
INFLUENCES:
Natural geometry, ancient cultures, science and engineering,
Leonardo de Vinci, Elvis Presley & Henry ford.
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