Jean-Michel Othoniel

Jean-Michel Othoniel (born 1964, Saint-Étienne, France) is a contemporary artist renowned for his poetic and transformative use of glass. After training at the École des Beaux-Arts in Cergy, he first explored unconventional materials such as sulfur and wax in the late 1980s, before discovering glass in the early 1990s. This encounter marked a decisive turning point, leading to the luminous, large-scale works that have become his signature.

Othoniel’s art is characterized by a unique blend of fragility and monumentality. Using Murano glass and other refined techniques, he creates sculptures, installations, and public artworks that engage with themes of memory, desire, and metamorphosis. His iconic works, such as Le Kiosque des Noctambules (2000) at the Palais-Royal metro entrance in Paris, or his monumental glass necklaces and fountains, transform spaces into sites of wonder and reflection.

His creations are at once intimate and universal, drawing viewers into a dialogue between body, architecture, and landscape. Whether suspended, floating, or embedded in urban or natural settings, Othoniel’s works invite a poetic re-enchantment of the everyday.

Today, Jean-Michel Othoniel’s art is exhibited worldwide and held in major public and private collections. He has been the subject of significant retrospectives, including at the Centre Pompidou (Paris, 2011) and the Brooklyn Museum (New York, 2012), and continues to create ambitious projects that merge craftsmanship, emotion, and a deeply human sensibility.