Meeting Claude-Marie THIBERT-BOUTOU in his studio in Saint Mard is a bit like diving into another world, another dimension. Here and there mingle, looms, bobbins, colored threads...
Originally from the Dordogne, she joined the School of Fine Arts, then trained at ENAT d'Aubusson where she trained in the different techniques of the high and low smooth trades. A few years later, the creation of remarkable works allowed her to be admitted to the Tapestry Workshop of the Cité Internationale des Arts, in Paris. It is here that she discovers know-how developed in Eastern countries that will change her way of seeing things.
This is a real revelation for her. She becomes a master in the traditional art of relief tapestry, which she mixes with a resolutely contemporary vision. His fame and talent earned him the gold medal of the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France in the Lissier creator category in 1986 and to be decorated with the Legion of Honor in 2003.
“In creation, I dive into a world where I forget the rest, it's a rest for the soul and the spirit, a bit like meditation."
© Studio Thomas Bonnin
His works are exhibited all over the world, from Boston to Tokyo via the most prestigious places in Paris, such as the 1st floor of the Eiffel Tower (reserved for the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France), the Ministry of Finance, the Hôtel Le Ritz… But for more than 40 years, what drives and nourishes it is the transmission of knowledge.
During the workshops and courses she gives, she likes to devote time to each of her students so that they themselves can one day transmit it in turn. “To teach, you have to be curious about others, help them to find inspiration in themselves.”
Even if the fingers begin to tire, the acrobat of the tapestry, as she likes to call herself, does not have to be ashamed of this incredible journey that she will have led throughout her life as an artist.
