MANSUY Guy, painting -collage, permanent artist of Galerie Capazza since 1998

“A piece by Guy Mansuy is sometimes a little museum of deformed and rejected life, or a construction punctuated by, and set to the rhythm, of homages. But most often it is an icon without any obvious perspective that just aims to remind us of the humble and simple face of life, which smiles at us each day with all its colours and which we so happily abandon for vein and misleading newness. The mystery is not hidden behind the image presented; it is between the image and us. It enlightens us, if we want to take it for what it is. We see in it all its features, its grooves and its wrinkles, its variations in tone and light. We can touch it, if we dare, and read the soft and rough materials like Braille. We feel a rhythm, almost like lively music for which we have forgotten the dance. Then, the mystery takes form. From this architecture, this assemblage, these colours and these materials, a poetic journey is born, one which flows in grains of sounds, words and phrases, just as much as of images. These are sometimes archaic, sometimes of a day-to-day banality. But at the bottom of this mystery we feel that beauty is within arm's reach - that memory is also the memory of the present, that we can build with nothing and that erosion is only an impression. That nothing is really forgotten. That each bit of life has its place in the creation and that a great harmony can spring from the most humble moment.


And from this harmony of things from life and time, from this recuperation, this construction, Guy composes music. It is perhaps because of this that he sways constantly...But always forward”.


Guillaume Gallienne, Actor and Comédie Française member


Extract of the book Guy Mansuy, Galerie Capazza Editions, 2014


“Guy Mansuy gladly plays the role of precise and patient guest of the woods and forests in which he roams around the essential origin of the cardboard that he will fold, cut and then stick at his own pace. Like a Jacques Prévert character, when he sees a tree, he already sees the paper or the cardboard that he will select, cut and then stick beside other objects from another forest. He certainly understands what René Char said about his friend Georges Braque that, "art is a road that ends as a path, as a springboard, but in a field which is ours".


Guy Mansuy offers us various fields. They are all made, unreal and surprising. His style is prominent and it enchants us, as the shapes and colours play around in a space which belongs to no other than the artist. Misplaced but not exiled, the materials used live another life; at least this one is bound to have music composed by desire and play. The pictures are, therefore, mirrors where some memories remain; memories whose identity and origin we don't know, but, as Jean Cocteau said, they make us think about them”.


Tahar Ben Jelloun, writer, won the Goncourt Prize (France's most prestigious literary award),
Extract of the book Guy Mansuy, Galerie Capazza Editions, 2014

Biography

1949  Born in Fédala (Mohamédia) in Morocco on 21 April, to a colonial military officer, father and a seamstress mother.

1956/61  Arrival in France, in Champagne after Morocco’s independence. Lives in Berlin (1958) then in Algeria in Aurés (1961).

1963/65  Attends secondary school at the Troyes en Champagne Lycée technique. Studies woodwork; undergoes carpentry training then joinery.

1966/67  Cabinetmaking training at the Lycée technique de l'ameublement in St Quentin in Picardie, then undergoes training in furniture design. Preparation for the competition for the Boulle school. Design course at the Maurice Quentin de la Tour school.

1968/74  Studies Visual Arts at Beaux-Arts de Troyes, Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg and the Paris Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (Etienne Martin-René Collamarini Studio).
During this time, he takes numerous trips to Europe and Asia.

1976  Studies humanities at Paris 1-Panthéon-Sorbonne.

1977  Assistant to René Collamarini's, professor at the Paris école des Beaux-Arts.

1978  Starts at the Comédie-Française as a decorator specialised in sculpture. Contributes to making costumes and some fifteen set pieces, notably Goldoni's "Holiday trilogy", played at the Théâtre de l'Odéon, staged by Georgio Strehler, with the set designers of the Piccolo Teatro de Milan and Molière's "Pleasures of the enchanted island", staged by Maurice Béjart.

1982  Creates an exhibition space at Troyes: "Passages", Centre d'Art Contemporain with its President, Roger Balboni, and Jacques Defert, advisor of Visual Arts for the Champagne-Ardenne Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs at that time. Becomes President in 1990.

1985  Takes part in a "cruise on the Rhine”, as a visual artist and representative of the Centre d'Art Contemporain "Passages", Franco-German exchanges in the field of Visual Arts, promoted by the Ministry for culture, the Lorraine Regional Council and the Nancy Goethe Institut.

1987  First important exhibition at the Charleville-Mézières Musée Arthur Rimbaud. Commissioner Alain Tourneux (curator).

1989  First personal exhibition in Paris, at the Johanna Vermeer gallery in the “Le Marais” district; agrees to collaborate with said gallery.

1990-2005  Works as a visual artist in the Champagne-Ardenne and Ile de France schools, as well as at the Charleville-Mézières IUFM.

1992  Meets the art critic Philippe Piguet, of L'Oeil magazine.

1998  Meets gallery owners Gérard and Sophie Capazza at the Ghent Fair (Belgium), where they agree to enter into collaboration. Personal exhibitions in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2014, in Nançay in Sologne.

1999  Takes part in a group work of 10 giant frescos (each 10 metres long), on the theme of music, in the "Parc de musiciens" quarter in La Villette, Paris, put on by the Christine Phal Gallery, with the participation of SOFERIM.

Since 2000  Exhibitions in several Parisian galleries in the “St Germain des Prés” quarter, 2004 Roland et Edith Flak Gallery, 2005, Christine Phal Gallery, 2013, Roy Sfeir Gallery.
Makes friends with the comedian Guillaume Gallienne.

2009  The Comédie-Française organises an exhibition for him in collaboration with the Capazza Gallery at the Vieux-Colombier theatre in Paris.

2010  Meets the writer Tahar Ben Jelloun.

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Exhibitions

2021  Enfances, collective exhibiton, Galerie Capazza, Nançay

2020  Curiosité : Guy Mansuy, Galerie Manjari & Partners, Chaligny

2019  Office de Tourisme, Vierzon

2018  Galerie Samagra et Galerie Roy Sfeir, Paris

2017  Galerie Raulin-Pompidou, Charonne

2016  Vénus et Vulcain, collective exhibition, Galerie Capazza, Nançay

2014  Galerie Capazza, Nançay, France

2013  Paris, Galerie Roy Sfer, France

2010  Strasbourg, St’art,Foire Européenne d’Art Contemporain, Stand of the Galerie Capazza

2009  Paris, Comedie-Française /Galerie Capazza,Galerie du Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, France
Foire Européenne d’Art Contemporain,Stand de la Galerie Capazza.

2008  Paris / Nançay, Galerie Capazza, France
Ribeauvillé (Haut Rhin), Cave Martin Zahn, France
Florange (Moselle), Gallery of the Médiathèque, France
Strasbourg, St’art,Foire Européenne d’Art Contemporain, stand de la Galerie Capazza, Paris/Nançay, France

2005  Châteaumeillant (Cher), IXème Rencontre d’Art Contemporain, Musée Emille Chenon, France
Troyes, Centre d’Art Contemporain Passages, France

2004  Grandpré-Buzancy (Ardennes), Espace Culturel du Collège, France
Nice, Galerie Joël Scholtès, France
Paris / Nancay, Galerie Capazza, France
Paris, Galerie Flak, France

2003  Saint-Dié des Vosges, Musée d’Art et d’Histoire Pierre Noël, France
Charleville-Mézières, Galerie L’Entre-Temps, France

2002  Nice, Galerie Joël Scholtès, France
Charleville-Mézières, Galerie d’établissement des Collèges Jean de la Fontaine et Fred Scamaroni, France

2001  Paris / Nançay, Galerie Capazza, France
Rethel (Ardennes), Bibliothèque Municipale, France

2000  Strasbourg, St’art, Foire d’Art Contemporain, France
Stand de la Galerie Scholtès et Ulivieri, Nice, France
Paris, Espace Christine Phal Bastille, France
Turin, Artissima, Foire d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Italy
stand de la Galerie Scholtès et Ulivieri, Nice, France

1999  Strasbourg, St’art, Foire d’Art Contemporain, France
Stand de la Galerie Scholtès et Ulivieri, Nice, France
Dusseldorf (Allemagne), Kunstmarkt, Foire d’Art Contemporain, France
Stand de la Galerie Scholtès et Ulivieri, Nice, France
Turin, Artissima, Foire d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Italy
Stand de la Galerie Scholtès et Ulivieri, Nice, France
Gand, Lineart, Foire d’Art Internationale, Belgium
Stand de la Galerie Scholtès et Ulivieri, Nice, France

1998  Strasbourg, St’art, Foire d’Art Contemporain, France
Stand de la Galerie Scholtès et Ulivieri, Nice, France
Gand, Lineart, Foire d’Art Internationale, Belgium
Stand de la Galerie Scholtès et Ulivieri, Nice, France

1997  Charleville-Mézières, Musée Arthur Rimbaud - Musée de l’Ardenne, France
Tonnerre (Yonne), Le Cellier, France
Reims, Galerie la Station des Transports Urbains, France
Nantes, Galerie Jean-Christian Fradin, France
Gand, Lineart, Foire d’Art Internationale, Belgium
Stand de la Galerie Scholtès et Ulivieri, Nice, France

1996  Paris, Pharmagora, stand de la Galerie Christine Phal, France

1995  Blaye (Gironde),Musée de la Citadelle, France

1994  Paris, Comédie-Française-Galerie du Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, France
Epernay (Marne), Espace Valentin, France
Paris, Découvertes, Foire d’Art Contemporain, France
Stand de la Galerie Jean-Christian Fradin, Nantes, France
Bordeaux, Galerie Varga-Darlet, France

1992  Québec, Galerie Charles et Martin Gauthier, Canada
Joinville (Haute-Marne), Château du Grand Jardin, France
Nantes, Galerie Jean-Christian Fradin, France

1991  Cannes, Galerie M. et M, France
Paris, Galerie Johanna Vermer, France

1990  New York, Galerie Peter Herman, USA
Amsterdam, Galerie Laurens A. Daane, Netherlands
Offenbach-sur-le Main, Deutsches Ledermuseum, Germany

1989  Nice, Galerie Itinéraires, France
Paris, Galerie Johanna Vermeer, France

1988  Madrid, ARCO, Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain, Spain
Stand de la Galerie Passages, Troyes, France

1987  Troyes, Centre Culturel Thibault de Champagne, France
Charleville-Mézières, Musée Arthur Rimbaud, France

1986  Madrid, ARCO, Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain, Spain
Stand de la Galerie Passages, Troyes, France

1985  Bologne, Arte Fiera, Foire d’Art Contemporain, Italy
Stand de la Galerie Passages, Troyes, France

1984  Troyes, Galerie Passages, France
Sens, Galerie Atelier 4, France

1983  Bari, Expo-Art, Foire d’Art Contemporain, Italy
Stand de la Galerie Passages, Troyes, France

1979  Reims, Galerie des Arts, France

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Public collections

Musée de l’Ardenne - Musée Arthur Rimbaud, Charleville Mézières, France
Musée de la Poste, Paris, France

Deutsches Ledermuseum, Offenbach sur le Main, Germany

Fond Régional d’Art Contemporain Champagne Ardenne, France

Fond Régional d’Art Contemporain Lorraine, France

Fond Régional d’Art Contemporain Paris, France

Maison de la Culture André Malraux, Reims, France

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