Cécile Plaisance
Cécile Plaisance’s lenticular photography is inscribed in her time and the Global Women’s Rights movement.
Drawing her inspiration from the grand masters of photography – Avedon, Lindbergh, Newton or Toscani, amongst others – Cécile Plaisance uses lenticular printing to allow the viewer to dress or undress the models, real women, barbies, idealized beauties that are everywhere around us. This time though, the models, whether human or doll, have an unapologetic way of looking right into the camera, as a way of reclaiming their right to display their charms, to seduce, to pleasure… in other words to live hedonistically, regardless of religion, the male gaze or cultural boundaries. A fun tribute to all women with Cécile’s humour: it’s a statement!
As Cécile’s photography progressed, she linked Barbie to the women of today - all the while playing with her femininity, as the icon took on many lives while juggling her daily life as wife, mother, friend and lover. She was doing what all women do and thoroughly enjoying it: flirty in her convertible; sexy on the beach; powerful as executive of her own company, autonomous, ageless, and in the end - alone as beautiful women can be in life - a Stepford wife no longer. Cécile also added humor to the Barbie mix by targeting men who absolutely expect sexiness in their women even while assuming everyday responsibilities.
Over and above the myth of woman as object, the artist elevates the idol of our collective childhood by supporting the challenges of women today to defend their rights, their desires and their hard-fought freedom. The nun’s cloak and the burka of a veiled woman now suggests that behind one woman’s outer persona, is another one hiding. From complex subtleties to bold statements, Cécile Plaisance’s artistic eye has found them all. Despite the differences in cultures, in clothes and fashion, and the diversity of paths taken, women aspire to live fully and intensely their multi-faceted lives and no Taliban will ever change that. In capturing the essence of all women in the perfect body of one, the artist has created a genre uniquely her own yet accessible to all. She uses the technique of lenticular photography by super imposing images : Barbie appears to undress depending on one’s position in front of the photo.
What if God were a woman? “Fuck the rules” is her latest series of photos that ignores established precepts and, instead, delivers an open perspective in which men and women accompany one another religiously, like complementary souls. Far from the mummifying codes of religion, Cécile Plaisance invites us into a subtle and sensual freedom of the senses, where a woman is seen as a female pope, the exclusive mistress of her own decisions.
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Cécile PlaisanceFuck the rules (Loin), 2019Lenticular print, framed95 x 125 cm (37 x 49 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceFrench Fries, 2019Lenticular print, framed57 x 70 cm (22 x 27 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceNutella, 2019Lenticular print, framed57 x 70 cm (22 x 27 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceAdam & Eve, 2018Lenticular print, framed70 x 57 cm (28 x 22 in)Edition of 8 + 2AP
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Cécile PlaisanceMarie proche, 2018Lenticular print, framed125 x 95 cm (49 x 37 in)Edition of 8 + 2AP
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Cécile PlaisanceSmoking Nun, 2019Lenticular print, framed57 x 70 cm (22 x 27 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceSquaw, 2019Lenticular print, framed125 x 95 cm (49 x 37 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceFreedom, 2019Lenticular print, framed125 x 95 cm (49 x 37 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceBurqua Hanna, 2018Lenticular print, framed125 x 95 cm (49 x 37 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceBurqa Hermes, 2018Lenticular print, framed70 x 57 cm (28 x 22 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceNun Olga (proche), 2018Lenticular print, framed70 x 57 cm (28 x 22 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceCardinal et nonne (The kiss), 2018Lenticular print, framed125 x 95 cm (49 x 37 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceGold Pope, 2018Lenticular print, framed70 x 57 cm (28 x 22 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceRed Pope, 2018Lenticular print, framed125 x 95 cm (49 x 37 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceAlex smoking burqa, 2017Lenticular print, framed70 x 57 cm (27 x 22 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceNun Alex & baby Dune, 2017Lenticular print, framed165 x 125 cm (65 x 49 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceNurqua et Champagne, 2016Lenticular print, framed70 x 55 cm (28 x 22 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceWords, 2016Lenticular print, framed125 x 95 cm (49 x 37 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceJimi Hendrix, 2016Lenticular print, framed125 x 95 cm (49 x 37 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceKoons Dog Burqua Dress, 2015Lenticular print, framed70 x 55 cm (28 x 22 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceVanity Fair, 2015Lenticular print, framed125 x 95 cm (49 x 37 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceBubble Bath, 2015Lenticular print, framed125 x 95 cm (49 x 37 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceAngelina gun, 2014Lenticular print, framed70 x 57 cm (27 x 22 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceLa Cène, 2014Print on diasec67 x 120 cm (26 x 47 in)Edition of 8 + 2 AP
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Cécile PlaisanceHeidi Klum, 2013Lenticular print, framed90 x 120 cm (35.4 x 47.3 in)Edition of 10
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Cécile PlaisanceRiva on the sea, 2012Printed on museum paper55 x 140 cm (21.7 x 55.1 in)Edition of 8
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Cécile PlaisanceSitting on the windshield, 2012Printed on museum paper140 x 100 cm (55.2 x 39.4 in)Edition of 8
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Cécile PlaisanceSurf on a RivaPrint on museum paper140 x 100 cm (55.1 x 39.4 in)Edition of 8
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Beyond Reality
Group show Oct 24 - Nov 30, 2019After their dazzling success at the Art Elysées fair, we are exhibiting the works of our artists who like to play with our perception of reality. It is hard to...Read more -
Cécile Plaisance
Solo show Jul 2 - 31, 2019Discovered by our gallery 7 years ago, Cécile Plaisance is a feminist photographer who has placed women at the heart of her artistic work since the beginning. Her goal is to break codes and liberate morals through her lenticular images and more recently, her sculptures.Read more -
Cécile Plaisance - When Barbie is brought to life
Solo Show Dec 10, 2017 - Jan 15, 2018The lenticular prints of Cécile Plaisance became even more impressive ever since she changed from Barbies to real models. The series is a hymn to femininity and shows the different...Read more
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LA Art Show
2021 Jul 29 - Aug 1, 2021Los Angeles Convention Center – West Hall 1201 South Figueroa Street Los Angeles, CA 90015Read more -
Art Market San Francisco
2021 Apr 29 - May 2, 2021Fort Mason Center - Festival Pavilion 2 Marina Blvd. San Francisco, CA 94123Read more -
Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary
2021 Mar 18 - 21, 2021Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary Pavilion 825 S Dixie Hwy @ Okeechobee Blvd West Palm Beach, FL 33401Read more -
Erarta Museum, Saint Petersburg
Cécile Plaisance. Role Play Feb 1 - Jun 2, 2019This will be the first ever time Plaisance’s art will be exhibited in Russia, culminating in one of the most encompassing shows of the artist...Read more
Having worked in a very male-dominated environment for years, Cécile Plaisance left the world of finance and banking several years ago and decided to settle in Brussels. She then became a full-time photographer and her work was exhibited at the most prestigious international art fairs around the world. She recently had a solo show of 58 pieces at the Erarta museum, St Petersburg, from January to June 2019.
SOLO SHOW / GROUP SHOW
2019
AAF Hong Kong
Art Market San Franscico
AAF New York
Mia Photo Fair
AAF Brussels
AAF Battersea London
Wynwood Art Fair
Art Palm Spring
LA Art Show
Art Innsbruck
Maison & Object Paris
Art Palm Beach
Musée Erarta, St Petersbourg, Russie
2018
Art Context Miami
AAF Hamburg
8ème Avenue Paris
AAF Battersea, New York, Hong Kong
Art Market Hamptons
SM'ART Aix en Provence
Art Context New York
Antibes Art Fair
Kunstrai Amsterdam
MIA Photo Art fair Milan
Lille Art Up
LA Art show
2017
Art Market Hamptons
Context New York
Art Central Hong Kong
Los Angeles Art Show
2016
Art Central Hong Kong
Art Wynwood, Miami
Art Hamptons
Art Southamptons
Context Art, New York
Los Angeles Art Show
Rotterdam Contemporary Art Fair
Scope Art, Miami
Rarity Gallery, Mykonos
Dock Gallery, Rotterdam
2015
Art Miami,
Art Toronto,
Beirut Art fair,
Art Dubai,
Art Hamptons,
Brussels & Chelsea, Voglesang Greenwhich, Samuel Owen gallery
2014
Beirut Art
Art Dubai,
London art
Hong Kong,
Paris, K+Y
Brussels & Los Angeles, Art Angels
Saint Tropez, PetitJean Galerie
Opera Gallery Gallery
Chelsea, Voglesang
2013
London art fair, Envie d’art Artistry, Artemiss Gallery, Singapore Art Hamptons, Envie d’art
2012
Ski series, United Gallery Gent
Tribute to Newton, Artemiss Gallery, Singapore Beach series, Knokke,Young Gallery
2011
Jeune fille, Contraste, Brussels
2010
Chantiers, Contraste, Brussels
2009
Autoportraits, Contraste, Brussels
COLLECTIONS
Nicole Sassaman (Barbie penthouse), Pritzker collection (Los Angeles),Wekerle (Toronto), King of Morocco collection, Jo Malone collection, Handler family (Mattel), Collection Meeschaert (Paris),Mimran group collection, collection of Mr & Mrs Latsis, Accor group, Vick Vanlian collection (Beirut),
Erarta museum: acquisition of 2 pieces.
PUBLICATIONS
Barbie Penthouse, Nicole Sassaman, 2015
100 barbie dolls, barbie book, 2015 Cecile Plaisance, Peel Photographie, 2015
Cecile Plaisance, Amused, May 2014
Art & Fashion Mag, March 2014
ELLE Belgique, October 2013
ELLE France, September 2013
La dolce vita, 2013
Barby Arty, Blended, 2013
CHARITY AUCTIONS
2011, Brussels
2013, Hong Kong