Olivier O Duhamel

A New Zealander since 1991, French born Olivier Duhamel lives on Waiheke Island, near Auckland, with his wife Marie-France and their 3 children.

The young Duhamel leaves France before his 20th birthday for extensive travels in Europe, in Africa and in the South Pacific. He arrives in New Zealand with his wife in 1986 and leads a successful 15 years career as a software engineer until 2002 at which times he resumes his artistic pursuits.

A self taught hobbyist and long time recreational draughtsman Mr. Duhamel has been a student of Chrystèle Legardinier (etching on copper plates - 1985) and of David Reid (sculptor and founder -2006). He has been a member of the Catherine Mitchell Life Drawing group since 2004.

His principal inspiration is the female nude which he depicts using graphite pencil on paper with great attention to details.

Since 2006, Olivier Duhamel also makes small figurative bronze sculptures. The rapid success of these classical and elegant figurines convinces him to become a full time sculptor.

Like few other sculptors, Olivier Duhamel casts his bronze himself in his Waiheke workshop. This allows him to keep full control over the entire creative process. He prides himself on the quality of his castings.

Olivier Duhamel publishes a "Bronze casting Manual" A complete tutorial teaching how to cast a small bronze using the ceramic shell, lost wax technique. The manual steps through an easily achievable casting project for professional sculptors and hobbyists.

Loyal to his inspiration of the human form figurative expression, Olivier also makes amazingly detailed and realistic custom life castings. He is the author of the popular "body casting manual", a guide explaining in easy to follow instructions everything one needs to know to make a faithful plaster reproduction of someone chest.

Olivier Duhamel' s creations do not convey any particular message, do not attempt any conceptual or symbolist exploration, nor do they search to be innovative at all cost. They are rather trying to simply capture the beauty and sensuality of his subject of studies.

His bronze works are sold in galleries across New Zealand and in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Paris, Marseilles, Nantes, Bruxelles and Shangai.