The timeless beauty of Bellitalia’s planters meets the ingenuity
of Yannick Robert, aka YR. He was born in 1973 in Sète, in
the south of France, where he soon set about capturing the
light and colors! His undying love for the patterns of light
would play a pivotal role in his future choices.
He begins his
career by teaching himself the mosaic technique
experience builds slowly, starting with the observation of
artists such as Gaudi, Niki de Saint Phalle, Dubuff et, Cocteau
and Miro, and then continues through several travels. Years
later it is a great project; it begins to embellish the streets
of Palavas le Flots with intricate and lively decoration of
planters and niches along the sea-front. YR himself suggested
to the Municipality and the Mayor that he undertake this
project and only later, and years later, he learns that the
planters are produced by Bellitalia. YR works with sandstone
tiles made with Venetian enamel. The creation of the mosaic
and the assembling of the various pieces follow a
completely personal technique, which at the same time
refers to an ancient method adopted by the mosaic masters of
ancient Rome. So a set of identities, artistic figures and
techniques converge in his way of making art. You could say
YR is a free spirit: he applies his unique style, with its fusion of
primitive and contemporary art, to everyday objects turning
them into living characters, multi-forms; through color, they are
infused with a soul; they become unique.