Extraordinary Collections by Marin Montagut

“ In them, I see history, heritage, and an expertise that has now been forgotten or lost”

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Marin Montagut © Pierre Musellec

New from French publishers Flammarion this autumn, is Extraordinary Collections, by acclaimed illustrator and designer, Marin Montagut.

© Pierre Musellec, from Extraordinary Collections by Marin Montagut (Flammarion, 2023)

With luscious photography by Pierre Musellec, this is a glorious coffee-table worthy exploration of French interiors, flea markets and ateliers. In the introduction. Marin explains, “My parents were antique dealers and my grandmother was an artist, so I grew up surrounded by a multitude of objects of all kinds”, before going on to reflect on the power of objects to conjure memories. “Finding objects endowed with soul is a passion that drives me every day… Each of my creations and watercolors says something about my world and my memories.”

© Pierre Musellec, from Extraordinary Collections by Marin Montagut (Flammarion, 2023)

Within the book’s pages, Marin encourages the reader to enjoy all of the eclectically diverse collections depicted therein: “My interest in objects is not connected to their value. They are often humble tokens of everyday life and examples of folk art. I find them moving because they convey a soulfulness. The traces of passing time are visible on their worn surfaces. In them, I see history, heritage, and an expertise that has now been forgotten or lost.”

The book takes us from Marin’s own space and objet to explore his favourite ateliers, antiques dealers, designers and flea markets across France, yielding such treasures as antique basketry, hordes of vintage glasses and apothecary jars, clothing, plaster casts, old fashioned barbershop memorabilia, furniture, hats and clothes, domestic items and other curiosities which, by being grouped together, become pieces of art. Pore over the richly illustrative pages to lose yourself in an almost Kantian definition of art as the ‘beautiful idea of a thing’, separating the content matter, associated use, or our own subjectivity from our capacity to appreciate the beauty of the form.

Extraordinary Collections: French Interiors, Flea Markets, Ateliers by Marin Montagut is published by Fammarion and is available now from all good booksellers including Blackwells, Waterstones and Amazon.