Philippe Cramer, an atypical figure on the Geneva artistic scene

Published on December 14, 2024 at 1:53 p.m. / Modified on December 14, 2024 at 4:34 p.m.

6 mins. reading

Hard stonebodywork, curly or smooth cannetille, fantastic onyx, kintsugiPolish point, leaf gilding, direct cutting, Thassos or Brazilian marble, Jura limestone, brushing, molding, simple lacquering, powder coating. To listen to Philippe Cramer talk about his work is to let yourself be drawn into a technical and material world, where the artisanal imagination occupies a decisive place. The Geneva designer is full of praise for those with whom he works to create his pieces. “I like spending time with someone who will teach me how to carbonize wood, remove rust from an old object, gouge wood to shape it, patina a metal, chisel a marble or with a bodybuilder to learn how to apply lacquer.” A rare occurrence in an Art world where we still far too often fail to make public the credits of the works, or failing that, to point out the collective nature of the work, he systematically makes a point of naming those with whom he has worked. collaborated. And he does it with an infectious enthusiasm, which we feel carried by admiration.

Thus, from the French graphic designer and typographer Philippe Millot, from Sylvie Deschamps, “the only woman in France with the title of Master of Art, embroiderer with gold thread”, or from Mohamed Kahlia, from Atelier B, in Geneva, who creates the “old-fashioned” leaf gilding for him. From the Carlhian establishment, a true institution of trimmings in the great tradition of Lyon silk, which he evokes with wonder. Or even his experience at the Louvre workshops, where he made the casts for A wonderful eyea “chrono-chromatic” work whose luminous variations punctuate the passing of time, on the principle of a clock. However, its network of artisans remains predominantly regional, a proximity which allows it to follow the production process as closely as possible. “I need to be able to move around easily to supervise certain details and, if necessary, come back the next day,” he explains.

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