Sosno
1937:
Alexandre Joseph Sosnowsky, known as Sacha Sosno,
was born in Marseilles. His father was Estonian
and his mother came from Nice. Spends his
childhood in Riga (Latvia). In 1948, meets
Matisse in Nice.
1956: Meets Yves Klein and Arman in Nice. When
seeing Klein’s monochromes, burns almost all
the ‘abstract’ works he was painting then.
1958: Studies at Sciences-Po (School of Political
Sciences in Paris) and at the School of Oriental
Languages. Follows courses at the Law Faculty
and at the Cinema Institute at the Sorbonne.
1961: Returns to Nice and launches a magazine
(Sud Communications) in whose first issue he
publishes the first theoretical article on the
School of Nice. Beginning of a long friendship
with Martial Raysse. Makes several programmes on
the cinema for Tele Monte-Carlo.
1962: Military service in Toulouse, which he ends
as an archeologist after he discovered the
largest site of GalloRoman tombs in
collaboration with the C.N.R.S. (the National
Centre of Scientific Research).
1963-1966: Works in the press and in printing and
becomes the assistant of Jean Sainteny.
1967-1969: As an author and a columnist, works
for several TV programmes, such as Daisy de
Gallard’s Din Dan Don, with Guy Seligman and
Rémy Grunbach. As a press photographer, becomes
a war correspondent in Ireland, Bangladesh and
Biafra, and publishes a book, Biafra, proximity
of Death, continuity of Life, with a preface by
Nobel Prize Professor Wolff and Pierre Emmanuel
of the Academie Française. Returns to painting
with the first “obliterated” photographs.
The concept of obliteration (“To hide in order
to see better”) will then be developed in
sculpture and architecture.
1969: Lives in Montparnasse and takes part in the
beginnings of video art and sociological art
with, among others, Bernard Teyssèdre, Gina
Pane, Juan Rabascall, Jean-Paul Thenot, Alain
Fisher, Fred Forest, Serge Oldenbourg, Nil
Yalter and Muntados. Organizes performances and
paints on sensitized photographic canvas.
Sef-portrait - Photo : André Villers Edition :
Eric Linnard - 1991 SOSNO biography
(11-2007)
1970: Writes the libretto of Astronomy, a ballet
composed for the television by Guy Job to a
music by René Henry.
1974: Sells his atelier in Paris and buys a
sailing boat in Holland and crosses the Atlantic
on the Go Westwith Mascha, his companion. Both
travel for three years. Exhibits in Porto and
Caracas. Makes his first drawing for sculpture.
1977: Returns to France and settles in Nice where
he makes his first sculpture: obliterated cars.
1979: Visits India where he makes bronzes at the
Lalit Kala Academi, near New Delhi.
1980: Becomes adviser to several couturiers and
makes designs for textile.
1983: Important one-man show at the Musée des
Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret in Nice. 1985: Settles
in a loft in Tribeca, New York and has his first
one-man show in the U.S. at the Aldrich Museum
in Richfield, Connecticut. The Galerie Beaubourg
in Paris commissions one of his works in 1986.
1987: First collaboration with the Gallery Marisa
del Re in New York.
1986-1988: Develops several projects which
associate sculpture and architecture, like Hotel
Elysée Palace with architect Georges Margarita,
a 28-meter high work, including a 19-meter high
bronze and 420 tons of granite. Meets the
philosopher Emmanuel Lévinas, an encounter at
the origin of a book by Françoise Armengaud, De
l’oblitération(Paris, Editions de la
Difference).
1989-1990: Four one-man shows in the U.S.: Miami,
West Palm Beach, Sarasota and Tampa.
1991: Moves his atelier to the hills above Nive,
the “colline de Bellet”, plants vine and
olive trees. Collaborates to several
architectural projects and works with Chicago
City Council for an inhabited sculpture in
homage to Frank Lloyd Wright.
1993-1999: Travels to Japan, Korea, Canada and
Greece. 1998: Elected at the Académie
interdisciplinaire des sciences in Paris.
1999: Opens an atelier in Monaco.
2000: Starts to work on The Square Head, a
26-meter high monumental sculpture due to be the
Central Library offices in Nice, with architects
Yves Bayard and Francis Chapuis, financed by the
Ministry of Culture, the Regional Council, the
County Council and the City of Nice.
Participates in the group exhibition “The
Artists of the Old Harbour” at the Marlborough
Gallery in Monaco with Arman, Bottero, Cane and
Folon. Resumes his submarine investigations
where he had first deep-sea dived and is
convinced he has discovered a very important
archeological site, an antique Greco-Roman
harbour. He is supported by academicians, among
whom the geologist René Dars, oceanographist
Professor Jean Joubert who lends him a boat to
facilitate his research. Now, inspection and
checking of all data already obtained, is under
way, with the support of the Department of
Submarine Archeological Research in Marseilles.
Participates in the group exhibition at the
Pompidou Centre, entitled Objets de l’art,
artde l’objet, as well as in the activities of
the international Centre of Contemporary Art at
Carros with a piece, Le Paradoxe d’Alexandre.
Participates in about 16 group exhibitions and
has six oneman shows in museums.
2001: Starts on a new series of obliterations
based on the appropriation/obliteration of
theatrical sets. Works on the vast surface of
painted canvases due to be destroyed,
representing landscapes, forests...Stage
curtains are obliterated with huge numbers,
geometrical forms, rectangles of bright colours,
red, yellow and black. The title of the series
is relevant: Operas. Beginning of the
installation of the aluminium structure of The
Square Head. One-man exhibition of Sosno’s
works at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary
Art in Nice, which opens on November 5.
One-man exhibition at the Marlborough Gallery in
Monaco (December 2001 - January 2002).
2002: Inauguration of The Square Headin presence
of the Minister of Culture. The first monumental
inhabited sculpture in the world, the first
construction entirely in aluminium, the first
building shaped and raised thanks to naval
techniques.
2003: Important exhibition at the Galerie Guy
Pieters in SaintPaul de Vence.
2004: Exhibits at Saint Petersburg (Russia) a
series of small bronzes and architectural
projects, and installs a monumental Venus in
Giubasco (Switzerland, Foundation Giancarlo
Olgiatti).
2005: Invited in Beijing by the President of the
Chinese Academy of Fine Arts, to build a
monumental sculpture in the city centre, and
study several art projects in relation to the
2008 Olympic Games.
(Hommage to Romain Rolland - Pierre - 16 m.
height Technical High School, Bagnieux - 1999
Architect : Yves Bayard )
2006: Visits China again. Selected for the
Symposium of Olympic sculptures due to be
exhibited in twelve museums before the beginning
of the games. Commissioned for a monumental unit
at the centre of Beijing (CBD project), a
flaghship building which will have offices,
luxury shops, sport structures and entertainment
places. In May, is commissioned for a giant
Poseidonin steel outside Villa Kappa in Nice by
the Meunier group (Architect: M. Orselli).
2007: A set of five sculped columns for the
Préfecture of Nice roundabout, order from the
General Council of the Alpes Maritimes - Marble
and granite Also,a horse in bronze, 3,25m.
height, order from the Horseracing Society of
Cagnes sur Mer, entitled : "There is no
longer any obstacle...", entrance to the
horse racing course. November 2007 : Edition of
the Catalogue raisonné of Sosno's works, "Towards
a complete edition...", text by Françoise
Armengaud, ed. Foundhaus-sit, Monaco.
Honours :
Distinction by American Legion : 1991:
Gold Medal of Merit 1996: Medal of valor 2001:
Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. 2005 :
Commandeur du Mérite Culturel in Monaco
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