About the artist:

Alain Kirili is a sculptor of verticality and modeling. His work emphasizes an “aesthetics of spontaneity” and seeks its formal unity through the variety of materials he employs in a quest for “organic simplicity.” Recently he has been working on the monumental aspects of sculpture in public spaces (at the campus of the University of Bourgogne in Dijon, in Paris and Grenoble). 2013 Solo Exhibition at the galerie Pièce Unique, Paris. Exhibition " Alain Kirili/Ariane Lopez-Huici" at the musée des beaux-arts de Caen. 2012 Solos Exhibitions at the Akira Ikeda Gallery in New York and Berlin. A stay at the Hartung-Bergmann Foundation where he created his wire sculptures Aria with the assistance of Roland Massenhove. An interview published in the Brooklyn Rail with Robert Morgan. Published an article in Libération : « Pussy Riot, le retour des Guerillas Girls ». Exhibitions « Kirili-Hartung » at the musée Picasso and at the Hartung-Bergmann Foundation in Antibes. Exhibition/installation Rythmes d'automne on the square in front of the l’Hôtel de Ville in Paris. 2011 Alain Kirili inaugurates his monumental sculpture "Résistance" in Grenoble; the sculpture is situated in garden setting landscaped by Alexandre Chemetoff. At the same time, an exhibition of Kirili drawings opens at the Musée de Grenoble. In July, Kirili opens a new installation of "Ascension" outside at the Abbé de Montmajour in Arles. In September, in the gardens of the Musée de Caen, Kirili's sculpture "Geste de Résistance" is inaugurated and accompanied with "The Eye of Hitler", an essay by historian Robert Paxton. 2010 Alain Kirili presents his drawing Forge in the collective exhibition "Works on Paper " , among with the artists John Chamberlain, Richard Serra, Joel Shapiro, at the Danese Gallery in New York. The sculptor paints in red his new vertical forged pieces in his series of works Burning Bush, Adam I, II et III, and Zips. He develops with the same energy the series of drawings New York Incandescence made of black charcoal & red oil pastel on vellum. 2009 Alain Kirili presents his work for a lecture with Paul-Louis Rinuy at l'INHA, Paris. The film "Alain Kirili, sculpteur de tous les éléments" directed by Sandra Paugam is screened for the first time at NYU, Paris. He participates to several groups-shows : "Sculpture & Drawings" among with Larry Bell, John Chamberlain, Mark di Suvero, Richard Serra, Joel Shapiro, at Danese, New York ; "Triple Play" curated by Lilly Wei, with John Duff & Ron Gorchov at the Lesley Heller Gallery, New York ; "NY Masters" with Ron Gorchov, Judy Pfaff, Alexander Ross, and Frank Stella, at the Galerie Jean-Luc & Takako Richard, Paris ; and the dialogue exhibition "Sculpture by Alain Kirili and Painting by Frank Olt", curated by Elaine Berger, at Nassau County Museum of Art Contemporary Gallery, Roslyn Harbor, NY.. Invited by Philippe Piguet, he shows his sculpture Ascension III and his recent terra cotta Adamah at l'Abbaye de St Jean d'Orbestier, Château d'Olonne. Solo exhibition in dialogue with the painter Ron Gorchov at the Galerie Jean-Luc & Takako Richard, Paris. The artist takes part of the catalogue "Sol LeWitt 100 Views" from the MASS MoCa with his personal text "Sol LeWitt: A New Calligrapher". 2008 In Paris, he's invited by l'Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art to present the work of the french sculptor Etienne Martin, whom he well knew. Mutablemusic produces the CD-DVD box-set Kirili et les Nymphéas - Hommage à Monet - Improvised music at the Musée de l'Orangerie, recorded during the concert at the Museum in 2007. In Paris and New York, he creates the series of forged iron sculptures Equivalences, Uccello, Visitation, the terra cotta ensembles Adamah et Ivresse , and the drawings Equivalences. 2007 In New York, the Salander-O'Reilly galleries proposes an exhibition Kirili-Lachaise, with his sculptures In Extremis and Nataraja. A selection of his writings and interviews, Mémoires de sculpteur, is published by the edition of the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, of Paris. The Musée de l'Orangerie invites him to exhibit his sculptures and drawings, in dialogue with les Nymphéas from Claude Monet. For this exhibition Kirili et les Nymphéas, he realises Commandement, à Claude Monet, his first monumental Commandement made in coloured concrete. His monumental sculpture in pierre de Bourgogne, Hommage à Charlie Parker, is inaugurated Espace Massena, in Paris. The french radio show A voix nue is dedicated to him with one week of interviews made by Thierry Dufresne. 2006 In January, Musée D'Orsay, Paris : in the current exhibition in the Museum's "Correspondances" series, Alain Kirili creates a dialogue between his sculpture, A Throw of the Dice Will Never Abolish Sculpture, and Edward Steichen's photographs of Rodin's Balzac. The sculpture is here shown in front of Gustave Courbet's painting, Origin of the World. 2005 In April, invited by the Ministery of Culture to exhibit Segou and Totems at the Jardin du Palais-Royal (Paris). A concert "Jazz & Sculpture" featuring Joseph Jarman, Thomas Buckner, Dalila Khatir and Jérôme Bourdellon is organised at the Theatre of Palais-Royal. 2004 In February, returns to Senegal where he forges new iron sculptures. Travels to Beirut for first attempt to visit and work at an aluminum factory. Exhibition at the New York Studio School with a concert featuring Alvin Lucier, Daniel Carter, Leroy jenkins, Thomas Buckner. 2003 Invited by Kosme de Baranano, director of IVAM, to exhibit in dialogue with works of Julio Gonzalez at IVAM Valencia. The resulting exhibition is “Alain Kirili Homenaje a Julio Gonzalez.” In March and April, Kirili curates the first-ever exhibition of David Smith drawings at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris. During the summer, travels to Mali to forge his Segou series. 2002 Dialogic exhibition with the works of Carpeaux at the Musee des Beaux-Arts de Valenciennes, celebrating 30 years of Kirili’s modeled clays. Debut of the publicly commissioned work “Ascension” in the Abbaye de Montmajour, Provence. 2001 Develops flesh-colored terra cotta pieces Clemence in a new spirit of serenity and experiments with polychrome waxes as a sculptural material. 2000 Experiments with resin as a sculptural material (Ascencion, Abbaye de Montmajour, Arles) and diversifies the colors of his modeled clays. 1999 The Musee de Grenoble puts on a major retrospective of Kirili’s work since 1980. 1998 Alain Kirili was commissioned by the Ministère de la Culture to install the sculpture of the 20th century in the Tuileries in Paris. 1997 Publishes Celebrations (Paris: Christian Bourgois, 1997), a book documenting his jazz/sculptural collaborations with Cecil Taylor, Steve Lacy, Roy Haynes, Billy Bang, Archie Shepp, Sunny Murray, and others. 1996 In Paris, the Ministry of Culture exhibits Kirili’s Commandement in the Tuilerie Garden for a second time. In conjunction with this event, Kirili is instrumental in having a group of modern and contemporary sculptures, predecessors and contempories of his work, permanently installed in the Tuileries. 1992 Soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy performs inside Kirili’s Commandement ensemble at New York’s Thread Waxing Space, launching an ongoing series of dialogues and collaborations between jazz musicians and Kirili’s sculpture. 1987 Publishes a book on Rodin’s erotic drawings (Rodin: dessins érotiques [Gallimard]) and pursues an immediate, fundamental relation with Rodin’s sense of eroticism. 1986 Kirili’s ensemble of forged welded-steel elements Grand Commandement Blanc opens in Paris at the Tuileries Garden. In New York, discovers the possibility of forging aluminum. This innovation leads to the development of his series of Kings and to the ensemble Oratorio. Publishes Statuaire (Paris, Denoel, 1986), a volume of essays and interviews on sculpture. 1985 Dialogic exhibition at the Musee Rodin in Paris, juxtaposing Kirili’s sculptures with those of Rodin. 1984 MOMA acquires Kirili’s forged-iron scupture Cortege. Sculpts his first monumental bronze, Grande nudité. 1982 Begins teaching theory and practice of sculpture at the School of Visual Arts in New York. 1980 Moves into a loft on White Street across the street from Barnett Newman’s. Creates the first of his Commandement series. Returns to India and photographs the Yoni-Lingam liturgy in a temple at Tanjore (Thanjavur). Continues to divide his time between Paris and New York. 1979 In May, Kirili speaks on “Ecstasy in Baroque Sculpture” at New York’s Museum of Modern Art to mark the museum’s first acquisition of his work, the sculpture Indian Curve. 1978 First trip to India generates tremendous interest and enthusiasm. Photographs Yoni-Lingam sculptures. Discovers technical possibility of firing solid clay, creating terra cotta with iron inclusions. This bold turn becomes the first of the artist’s significant technical innovations. First one-man show at the Sonnabend Gallery in New York. 1977 His work appears for the first time in Documenta 6 in Kassel. Meets photographer Ariane Lopez-Huici; the two marry in October. 1976 After several stays in New York as part of studio exchanges, Kirili has a one-man show at the Clocktower and another group show at The John Weber Gallery. His work is included in the inaugural show at P.S. One. Meets Robert Morris and Robert Ryman. Begins research on iron forging in the Tyrol, working with craftsman Florian Unterrainer. 1972 Exhibits first sculpture, a sheet of cold-cut zinc, at the Sonnabend Gallery in Paris. Kirili’s work will continue to appear regularly at this gallery in both Paris and New York. Meets Robert Rauschenberg, who invites him to New York. Produces his first abstract modeling, an unfired clay pierced with a thin steel plate. 1969 Meets Philippe Sollers and Julia Kristeva, leading figures in the avant-garde Tel Quel group, and begins a long-term association with the Tel Quel circle. 1965 Kirili discovers the work of David Smith and travels to the United States for the first time, studying European and American art in major museum collections in New York, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit. 1946 Alain Kirili born in Paris, 29 August, 1946.