Past is Present, the Retro-Modernist Exhibition from Léo Caillard

Known for its luxury hotels tucked into medieval alleyways and its international gastronomy festival, the city of Mougins is home to the MACM. Oriented towards the Greco-Roman world through its holdings of sculpture, vases, jewellery, coins, a private collection of weapons and armour, the Museum of Classical Art of Mougins pays homage to the beauties of the ancient world.

Léo Caillard, a retro-modernist artist

It is therefore completely natural that its galleries will play host to the work of Léo Caillard, a young Parisian artist with an audacious artistic approach. With a range of techniques all his own, this artist brings together different eras in his singular work, inviting us to rediscover with fresh eyes the past and the present, tinged with a certain sense of humour.

Cast in bronze and marble, the Hipster Busts are kitted out with contemporary accessories to offer augmented reality art. © DR

With a pair of sunglasses perched on the nose, the most classical statues appear more human. © DR

New artistic techniques and the surprise effect

His exhibition, Past is Present, was born from a number of encounters concerning the imprint of the past in contemporary art. Whether he is dressing statues from the Louvre or imagining the digital works of tomorrow, he is always looking for the same effect : surprise, to attract the gaze and awaken a curiosity by associations which give us a full-body plunge into the art of the 21st century.

Dressed as modern youth, Venus and Aristaeus have a new lease on life. © DR