Artistic partnershiph Charlois X Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut

The sacred union of forest and wood!

In Charlois’s family, the forest (“La forêt des Bertranges in particular) has been an integral part of our minds and bodies for 12 generations. As for Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut, it’s in the heart of the Fontainebleau forest that this multi-faceted artist finds his roots, finds his resources, imagines, draws and creates. Both share a common interest in forest, particularly oak, and their desire to magnify it. It was written that one day they would cross paths.

“Fall in love”

Contacted by Guillaume Tozer, Jean-Guillaume is seduced by the story of Charlois family and Sylvain. A meeting was scheduled for April 2023 in Murlin. This meeting has now led to a long-term collaboration, “Tribute to Oak”, in line with a shared ambition to enhance the value of a precious, rare material, and to combine know-how and raw materials.

Forest: an endless source of inspiration

The partnership between Charlois and Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut involves commissioning 12 works, add one monumental work, to enhance existing art collections. Jean-Guillaume’s works will be exhibited to the public at Murlin, in the Bertranges region, and at the group’s sites in France and all around the world.

In return, Charlois has agreed to provide Jean-Guillaume with the exclusive oak material he needs to fulfill orders from his many customers and collectors. The collaboration sealed with Charlois gives the internationally renowned artist an opportunity to create works from premium quality oak, originally selected for production of large containers for ageing wines and spirits. Parts of oak too short, giving both the artist and the group a great way to highlight the value of rare and precious French oak.

For Charlois, supplying oak to an artist like Jean-Guillaume is like entrusting a rough stone to a diamond cutter. He’ll add value to the material, chiseling it, cutting it, sublimating it to make unique, exceptional pieces, commissioned by equally prestigious buyers and collectors.

Stéphane Ebel

Photography © Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut