Yonel
Lebovici

While many creators fit neatly into defined categories, Yonel Lebovici is decidedly unclassifiable. A true UFO in the world of artistic creation, Yonel Lebovici is first and foremost a tinkerer if not an inventor. Unpublished and independent, he personally handles pliers, blowtorch, and hammer to craft his pieces in his space Forme & Couleur – a place that is part gallery, part studio, and above all, a workshop.
Far from considering himself a designer, he creates pieces through a process of formal and aesthetic exploration, far removed from functionalism. In a word only: playful.

In 1965, Yonel Lebovici signed his first furniture piece with the Aquariophile set (1965), composed of a table and chairs. The table includes a semi-circular basin designed to host plants or tropical fish. As throughout his career, Yonel Lebovici seeks to transform and explore contemporary materials, such as plexiglass.

The Soucoupe (1968) lamp alone encapsulates the essence of Yonel Lebovici’s work. For him, light is the ultimate medium of expression. It is sculpted like a material in its own right. This fabulous lamp is built on a succession of geometric forms: a triangle, on which other triangles are stacked, topped with a disc, itself adorned with spheres. A true emblem of 1960s and 70s style, the Soucoupe reads like a manifesto of the Space Age, with its glamorous and bold aesthetic.

The Top Niveau (1991) table, meanwhile, fits more closely with the aesthetic so dear to Pulp Galerie. A simple glass top rests on a radically unique base. Two hyperbolic bubble levels balance atop four massive blocks of raw concrete. The result is a resolutely subversive aesthetic, one that disrupts the cozy interiors of design collectors.

Artist, designer, craftsman, or fabulous inventor: Yonel Lebovici’s work stands as a brilliant testament to creative freedom, far removed from established conventions.