Meet Anne De Villemejane | Artist/Sculptor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anne De Villemejane and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anne, what inspires you?
I have been lucky to enjoy several lives in one. Prior du being a sculptor -which I have been for the last 22 years-I was a marketing executive in luxury goods in Paris then London.

At that time, one of the creative Guru at L’Oreal advised all the new recruits to practice lateral thinking: learn to look outside of our own world and practice the art of transposition and appropriation .

Today I am an established sculptor with this thought deep in my mind.

I find my inspiration in a very masculine , raw, environment -such as construction – to create poetic and feminine sculptures.

I use nails, screws, metal mesh and threads, cement or rods to sublime them into textural works of art with almost a jewelry touch .

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Sculpture is a particular Art form, requiring extensive technical knowledge and considerable financial investments should the artist consider bronze casting. This is met by a small buying market- as collectors are often unsure of how and where to display 3D pieces of Art.

This maybe explains why there are so few sculptors represented by galeries or even shown in museums- Thankfully, this is slowly evolving.

As a woman sculptor, I actually enjoy being one of few.

I came to sculpture after a couple of years of painting when i met an italian artist and gallery owner from Portofino who recognized the extreme textural aspect of my paintings and advised me to take on sculpture.

in the year 2000, that encounter marked a new beginning for me and after 10 years of training in the best schools in Boston, i started developing relationships with galeries in Europe and the US.

Today , I am proud to be a co-opted member of the National League of American Pen Women.

In 2021, when Covid 19 was the main issue for many artists, i was lucky to be featured on French TV channel, TV5 monde, and be featured in the New York times with my very unique metal and cement sculptures exhibited with the Zurcher gallery in Soho.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
in manhattan, the list is long- But i would start by looking again at the awesome blog “experience New York” by my friend Nadege Fougeras. “Secret NYC” is also a great source of up to date ideas for fun events in New York

ok , so here are a few ideas if Babette, my best friend from Paris was joining me for a few days in manhattan:

-Start the day with breakfast at the very posh Mark hotel in upper east side to then head towards the met to pay a visit to the Frick collection or the guggenheim museum.

-Head south and stop at Fotografiska, the 5 floor museum on 23d street, dedicated to photography

-Stop for an ice cream at Eataly nearby

-Go shopping between mott and Broome street in Nolita

-Have lunch at French brasserie Balthazar

-visit Donad Judd foundation in Soho

-walk the highline and stop at the chelsea galleries-with a special attention for the one and only Philippe Labaune gallery, dedicated to comic art on 24th street

-take a city bike to cross Brooklyn bridge and go iceskating on the rooftop of the William Vale Hotel

– listen to jazz at Bill’s place speakeasy in Harlem

– spend another fun evening at the NYNY dueling pianos on 46th street

– if we are not broke, try to take a reservation at Atera, a 2 star michelin restaurant in Tribeca

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
To Lorenzo Cascio, gallery owner and my mentor in Portofino -Italy: the person who encouraged me to start sculpting

Website: www.annedevillemejane.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annedevillemejanegallery/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annedevillemejane

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annedevillemejane

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_4UwOsiKYM

Other: VIRTUAL BROCHURE https://www.flipsnack.com/FB5F786EFB5/origins.html VIRTUAL INTERACTIVE GALLERY VISIT https://eazel.net/show_vr/c022f4c9511a?fullscreen=1&autoplay=1