Manolo Chrétien

French photographer, Manolo Chrétien is fascinated by the world of industry, aeronautics in particular.  Born on a French Air Force base in 1966, his work returns to his childhood memories: a universe made of bright aluminum, hot tarmac and kerosene smells.  It is essential to him to recapture the innocence of his vision as a child and to reveal the wonderment he felt.

In recent years, his work has taken on a more modern aesthetic. He is interested in playing with the purity of forms; as plane designs are so fluid for aerodynamics purposes their outlines tend to be very pure and organic. With this, he brings a new and original dimension to photography. Determined to keep coherence between subject and material, Manolo uses a technique of fine art print on brushed aluminum, the metal used for the body of planes.  He calls it 'Aluminations'; a brilliant mix of illuminations, hallucinations and aluminum.  His last series 'Nouveaux-Nez', is the result of a face-to-face interaction between the artist and the aircrafts he has seen taking off and landing from Paris to Tucson, since his early childhood.  

Manolo holds a degree in fine art from the prestigious Olivier de Serre art school in Paris.  His work has been recognized by critics since 1998 with a first series of photographs on the theme of boats 'Effets Mer'.  His 2002 series 'Juste-Ciel' was a broad success, followed in 2007 by 'New York Citillusions'.  Manolo Chretien has been exhibited by numerous galleries in France, Germany, China, the Netherlands and the UK.