Patrick Mimran (born 1956 in Paris, France) is a contemporary French multimedia artist, composer, and the former CEO of

Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi. Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...

. He is most widely known for Lamborghini's turn-around in the early 1980s and his art exhibit, "The Billboard Project".

Biography

Business

Lamborghini: 1978-1987

Before becoming an artist, Patrick Mimran was the owner and CEO of

. In 1981, at the age of 24, Mimran and his brother,

Jean Claude Jean Claude (1619 – 13 January 1687) was a French Protestant divine. He was born at La Sauvetat-du-Dropt near Agen. After studying at Montauban, Jean Claude entered the ministry in 1645. For eight years he was professor of theology in th ...

, purchased the company's failing assets for US$3 million. The brothers had purchased the company out of receivership by 1984 and began investing heavily in the company's expansion, developing a comprehensive restructuring program. Under the Mimrans' management, Lamborghini's model line was expanded from the Countach to include the Jalpa sports car and the LM002 off-road vehicle. Patrick served as CEO until 1987 when he sold the company to

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

Art

Multimedia artist: 1990-present

After years as a successful businessman, Mimran turned to art. Mimran's artwork has ranged through media including

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

video art Video art is an art form which relies on using video technology as a visual and audio medium. Video art emerged during the late 1960s as new consumer video technology such as video tape recorders became available outside corporate broadcasting ...

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, and installations. Mimran's work has been exhibited in museums including the Leonardo da Vinci Museum for Science and Technology,

Palazzo Venezia The Palazzo Venezia or Palazzo Barbo (), formerly Palace of St. Mark, is a palazzo (palace) in central Rome, Italy, just north of the Capitoline Hill. The original structure of this great architectural complex consisted of a modest medieval hous ...

and Kunstpalais Erlangen, as well as festivals including the

Venice Architecture Biennale Venice Biennale of Architecture (in Italian Mostra di Architettura di Venezia) is an international exhibition of architecture from nations around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. It was held on even years until 2018, but 202 ...

Art Cologne Art Cologne is an art fair held annually in Cologne, Germany and was established in 1967 as ''Kölner Kunstmarkt''. It is regarded as the world's oldest art fair of its kind. The fair runs for six days and brings together galleries from more than ...

, Art Paris and Art Karlsruhe.

= Musical composition

= He also works in electronic music, composing the score for

Maurice Béjart Maurice Béjart (; 1 January 1927 – 22 November 2007) was a French-born dancer, choreographer and opera director who ran the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland. He developed a popular expressionistic form of modern ballet, talking vast th ...

’s ballet Kurozuka (performed at the Bunkan Kalkan Theatre, Tokyo) and collaborating with

Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are the ...

. Mimran composed scores for Greenaway projects including the multidisciplinary film and art installation "

Stairs 1 Geneva ''Stairs 1 Geneva'' is a film by Peter Greenaway. It is also a large-scale art installation, an exhibition, a catalogue and a CD album. The film The film comprises one hundred sequences showing a location in the city of Geneva Geneva ( ; fre ...

", the 1996 film, ''

The Pillow Book is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Empress Consort Teishi during the 990s and early 1000s in Heian-period Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002. The work is a collection of ...

'', the 1996 public art event "La Cosmologia di Piazza del Popolo Roma", and the art installation, "In the Dark", which was featured in the 1996 exhibition, "Spellbound: Art and Film" at the

Hayward Gallery The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre in central London, England and part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings (the Roy ...

of London. In addition to musical scores, Mimran has released four albums. ''Novels For The Moons'' (1981), his first album, was heavily influenced by German electronic pioneers and released on the imprint Lamborghini Records. He subsequently released ''Back to Earth'' (1983), ''Honni Soit – Qui Mal Y Pense'' (1987) with vocalist James Bowman, and ''Service Entrance'' (2017), a collection of soft piano music.

= Sculpture

= Mimran's "Jet Set Giraffe" sculpture, standing at 7.5 meters, is considered the tallest giraffe sculpture in the world. It was installed in the Monte Carlo's Grand Casino Garden from 2009 to 2013, when it was moved to its permanent home at the

Colchester Zoo Colchester Zoo is a zoological garden situated near Colchester, England. The zoo opened in 1963 and celebrated its 50th anniversary on 2 June 2013. It is home to many rare and endangered species, including big cats, primates and birds as well as ...

in Essex, England. The giraffe, made of glass fiber and steel, appears to be solid metallic silver but transforms into a silhouette lit by 214 colorful lights at night.

= The Billboard Project: 2000-2012

= Patrick Mimran is best known in the United States for his Billboard Project, a comprehensive series of billboards which he initiated in 2000 in London and later expanded to New York, Miami, Venice, and Tokyo. For the project, Mimran used advertisement billboards as a platform for short aphorisms that provided commentary about art and the relationships between artists, critics, curators and art dealers. The billboards attracted a fan base.

= Wearable art

= In 2015, Mimran turned 25 of his paintings into wearable art by developing the cashmere scarf line, Allezzou Fashion.

= Digital art

= Mimran recently developed the Aphos App, a digital rendition of his "Billboard Project" which allows users anywhere in the world to create their own boards with quotes, aphorisms, and comments about art, politics, news, fashion, music, or any subject related to their daily lives and interests.

Exhibits

; 2013 : L'art prend la ville !, DeFacto Gallery, La defense, Paris, France : Billboard Project, Istituto degli Innocenti, Mudi, Piazza SS Annunziata 12, Florence, Italy : GHOSTS, Recent paintings, Palazzo Malipiero, Ramo Malipiero, Venice, Italy : IN THE MIROR OF REALITY, La galleria, Venice, Italy ; 2012 : iRonic, Bietigheim-Bissingen : Trash Can Project, Campo san manuele, Venice, Italy : After, New Photographs, Palazzo Malipiero, Venice, Italy ; 2011 : Ironic. Die feinsinnige Ironie der Kunst, Kunstpalais : Patrick Mimran billboard, Palais Stutterheim, Erlangen, Germany : Patrick Mimran, Group Show, Galerie Dorothea van der Koelen : Art in movimento, La Galeria Venezia : After, New Photographs, Palazzo Malipiero, Venice, Italy : Patrick Mimran, Photographs, Art Paris 2011 : Paul Ardenne, Realite revisitee, Analix Forever : Patrick Mimran, Billboard Project, Galerie Dorothea van der Koelen, Art Cologne : Patrick Mimran, Billboard Project, Galerie Dorothea van der Koelen, Art Karlsruhe ; 2010 : Nuit Blanche, Billboard project, Toronto, Canada : La Galleria, Photos of my billboard project, Dorothea van der Koelen, Venice, Italy ; 2009 : Trash Can Project, Campo san manuele, Venice, Italy, Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci : Patrick Mimran, Billboard project, Milan, Italy : Patrick Mimran, Billboard project, Galerie Dorothea Van der koelen, Italy : Les Photaumnales, Musee departemental de la haute-garonne, Beauvais oise France : Patrick Mimran, car park in New York ; 2008 : 11th Mostra internazionale di architecttura La biennale di Venezia, Billboards in the city, Venice, Italy : Patrick Mimran Billboard Project, Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, Milan, Italy : Prelevements Urbains, Le mois de la photo à Paris, Passage de Retz, Paris, France : Patrick Mimran “Temple Steps” recent photographs, Bay 100, Miami, USA ; 2007 : Billboard project, 24th 25th 26th street, 31, Chelsea, New York, USA : Recent Paintings Muramatsu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan Billboard Project Tokyo, Japan : New York Parkings, Palazzo Malipiero, Venice, Italy : Trash Can Project, Campo san manuele, Venice, Italy : Lyon Billboard Project, Lyon, France : Brahmatic A video Installation, National Museum Leonardo da vinci, Milan, Italy : Recent paintings , video and photographs, Palazzo Venezia, Rome, Italy : Vertigo revisited a Video Installaton, Kent Gallery, Miami, USA Biennale de Florence, Florence, Italy ; 2006 : Installation video paintings and photographs : Brahmatic, Solo show, Moscow world fine art fair, Moscow, Russia : Billboard project, 20 billboards in Moscow, Moscow, Russia : Billboard project, 24th 25th 26th street, Chelsea, New York, USA : Billboard project, Bridge of the Academia, Venice, Italy : Billboard project, Piazza del Popolo, Roma, Italy : Billboard project, Museo d’arte moderna, Bologna, Italy ; 2005 : Billboard project, Bridge of the Academia, Venice, Italy : Billboard project 24th 25th 26th street, Chelsea, New York, USA ; 2004 : Brahmâtic, Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice, Italy : Altered states, The Milk Studio, New York, USA : Billboard project, Bridge of the Academia, Venice, Italy : Billboard project, 24th 25th 26th street, Chelsea, New York, USA : L’oeuf” 2nd international biennale of sculpture of Monte-Carlo, Montecarlo, Monaco ; 2003 : The Tower of Babel, Eggenberg Palace, Graz, Austria : Babel.TV" Group exhibition displaying, Graz, Austria : Discomatic, Espace Bellevue, Biarritz, France : Discomatic, Museo Valenciano de la Ilustracion y la Modernidad, Valencia, Spain : Billboard project Museo di Ca' Pesaro, Venice, Italy : Billboard project, 24th 25th 26th street, Chelsea, New York, USA : Paintings, Museo Nacional De Artes Visuales, Parque Rodó, Montevideo, Uruguay : Vertigo, Circulo de Bellas Artes Alcala 42, Madrid, Spain ; 2002 : Vertigo, The Game in 20th Century Art, Palacio de Montemuzo, Zaragoza Spain : Billboard project, 24th 25th 26th street, Chelsea, New York, USA : Jet Set Giraffe, The Parade of Animals Second edition of the International Sculpture, Festival of Monte-Carlo Jardins du Casino, Monte Carlo, Monaco : Vertigo, Games in the Art of the 20th century, Espace Bellevue, Biarritz, France ; 2001 : Babel.TV, Marlborough Chelsea, New York, USA : Babel.TV, Orangerie de Bagatelle, Paris, France : Billboard Project, West 24th and West 26th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues, Chelsea, New York, USA ; 2000 : Paintings for billboard,Cromwell Road, London, Great Britain : First Baby, Walking Man, From Rodin to Mimran, Jardin du Palais Royal, Paris, France : Walking Man, From Rodin to Mimran, Lange Voorhoot, The Hague, The Netherlands ; 1999 : Recent Paintings, Marlborough Gallery, New York, USA : The rhythm of time, The Almodin, Valencia, Spain ; 1996 : Paintings, Marlborough Gallery New York, NY ; 1971 : Sweet Murder, Galerie Laudann, Lausanne, Switzerland : Sweet Murder, Maison des jeunes et de la culture, Thonon les bains, France

Bibliography

* ''Paul Ardenne, Patrick Mimran, partage des correspondances'', Editions du Regard, Paris, 2001. * ''Paul Ardenne, Babel/TV'', Editions du Regard, 2001. * ''Urban Samples/Prélèvements urbains (photographies)'', Editions Monografik, 2008. * Beate Reifenscheid and Dorothea van der Koelen; Arte in Movimento – Kunst in Bewegung, Dokumente unserer Zeit XXXIV; Chorus-Verlag; Mainz 2011;

References

External links

*
Patrick Mimran sur actuphoto.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mimran, Patrick 1956 births Living people French artists French businesspeople Lamborghini people