The Art Paris 2021 event was a hard one to miss. If you’ve missed out on travelling to museum and art gallery visits in the last year, this huge show might have caused little tears over your passport. Just closing on September 12, it featured 140 galleries from over twenty countries, displaying art spanning from the post-war to the contemporary period. In short – just over 2,000 pieces!

Even if buying art was not an objective, the Art Paris show provided an incredible opportunity to see some of the newest pieces and emerging art scene stars and blue-chip artist works – all while casually strolling in the Grand Palais Éphémère. Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso rubbed shoulders with Albarrán Cabrera and Alia Ali, and there was a wide range of mediums. Sculptures, photographs, and more filled the extensive labyrinth of gallery spaces.

Also on hand? Work from artists we’ve discussed in our previous blogs, like Niki de Saint Phalle and Invader. Fortunately, we were able to sift through the ocean of art offerings to present 10 significant works that would look great on your own walls. Then, inspired by these pricy pieces, we’ve rounded up some great Mozaico mosaic artwork to embellish your home. (Even better – our glass and marble mosaics look just as great outside as inside – with no additional security guards or special care required!)

Invader: Space Oddity Rubik, 2011

Mixed Media

Let’s start with a piece by French artist Invader. He’s been featured here recently as we took a look at humorous mosaic artwork inspired by the pandemic. Although his famous mosaic tile art is a source of fun on streets and walls in Paris and other major cities, this piece is constructed from Rubik’s cubes mounted on Perspex. You’ll probably recognize his signature pixelated style.

His portrayal of rock icon David Bowie was listed at €440,000 at the fair. If you like the effect that Invader achieves with his mosaic tiles, you’ll also enjoy our new Splash wall art. It’s constructed of colorful glass tiles that add a shimmering effect and – and it looks superb on shower walls and other wet surfaces.

Simon Vega: Cosmic Portals, Lost Pyramids and Timeless Travelers, 2020

Mixed Media

Colombian artist Vega has worked with installation art pieces in years past – his representations of space ships, astronauts, and other cosmic subjects are large scale and often site-dependent. This mixed media piece incorporates his signature blend of found objects and illustration.

The pyramids of the title are Mayan, as the masks indicate. These cultural influences help Vega make his metaphorical comparisons between space exploration and the effects of modern colonialism.

Carry out your own discussions of how ancient Mesoamerican art is still influencing today’s creators under the view of our Mayan God Medallion.

Ennio Chiggio: Struttura Visiva – Anelli Alternati Margini 3

Collage of acrylic painted tiles on board

Italian artist Ennio Chiggio creates precise shapes from imprecise materials such as corrugated cardboard and painted tiles. Building on the contrast between the end product and the medium – he often depicts optical illusions that require crisp details.

Pieces like these can add depth to tight spaces and add a bold focal point to an otherwise blank wall. Mosaic wall art opens up the possibilities even more, as it can be installed in showers and other spaces that limit the use of conventional art decor. A piece such as our boldly patterned Hallway Illusion mosaic design gives a similar effect.

Je Yeo Ran: Usquam Nusquam 2020

Oil on canvas

Jeo Yeo Ran, a South Korean artist, utilizes her signature large brushstrokes and sculptural use of paint in mostly abstract pieces. Although their interpretation is always up to the viewer, they evoke flowers, gardens, and, as in this piece – a busy garden pond with fish.

Our Koi Fish mosaic art evokes a very similar feeling. Created with 100% hand-cut stones, this fully handmade artwork can be placed in any surroundings – even under water!

Albarrán Cabrera – #809

Pigment print on Japanese paper and gold leaf

Angel Albarrán and Anna Cabrera have worked in collaboration as art photographers since 1996. Their pieces employ a diverse range of photo techniques – toning their darkroom prints with selenium, sepia, or tea, and using hand-made gampi paper with either gold leaf or mica for their pigment prints. The result is photos that have a radiance similar to Japanese silk paintings. Most of their works are of scenes in nature, rarely with any human figures.

This piece from their Mouth of Krishna series is meant to evoke memories – like all their works. The colors of Autumn twilight or dusk are strong and comforting. A similar feeling is present in this gorgeous mosaic from our catalog. Stone mosaic tiles give a three-dimensional quality to this design.

Alia Ali Pulse, 2019

Archival Pigment Print on Cotton Rag, mounted, upholstered frame in Masai Wool

Alia Ali, Yemeni-Bosnian-US multi-media artist, uses her travels of the world to inspire her art. She explores the themes of identity, borders, language, and freedom from confinement in her work. Complex shapes and optical illusions invite a closer look at her pieces, which often portray female shapes in native costumes.

Similarly, our flamenco dancer marble mosaic wall art is a celebration of culture and spirit. The dark background surrounding a graceful figure creates depth and a three-dimensional quality similar to Ali’s piece.

Nicolas de Crecy Museo Experimental El Eco

Work on paper

A broad-ranging career that covers not only contemporary paintings – but also cartoon art – distinguishes the career of this French artist. Works shown at Arts Paris this year are moody Mexican city and landscape scenes with a slightly surreal quality of light. This piece, depicting a slice of an urban location under the sun, is a standout.

We see the same dramatic tones in our stone art mosaic – where the medium is an array of natural Semi-Precious Stones. Our scene uses an opus sectile technique where natural stones are cut into different patterns and shapes to fit the component parts of the given design. These mosaic designs are beautiful as backsplashes!

Anish Kapoor Monochrome, Yellow, 2014

Fibreglass and paint

Household name Anish Kapoor Anish Kapoor is known for simple and elegant sculptures of spare geometrics and organic forms- executed with feats of engineering. You might have seen his public works such as the Cloud Gate in Chicago – known locally as “The Bean” or Orbit structure built for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.. A number of his works have sold for more than $1 million at auction. His bold yellow piece at Arts Paris evokes the sun – mysteriously transported to a wall, where it can be contemplated safely.

We’ve also captured El Sol, and have made it available to brighten any wall or floor of your home! This celestial sunburst shimmers and glows, seemingly lit from within!

Adam Bogey Fuegos #018

Oil sticks on canvas

French artist Bogey had two dramatic sky scenes on exhibit at the event. His return to painting was inspired by his Mexican roots, and a desire to allow “My mother and an art critic to be able to understand my painting, without expecting anything in return.”

He achieves his glorious saturated tones with oil sticks on canvas. His skies are expansive, glowing, and lifelike. Similarly, our artists achieved this realistic look with mosaic tile art – you’ll love our Arizona Sunset design on your own kitchen or garden wall!

Laurence Aëgerter Soleils couchants sur la Seine à Lavacourt

Mixed media, Tapestry

Artist Aëgerter plays with photography and older works to create new interpretations for the 21st century. Here, her tapestry was inspired by a Monet piece from 1880. His depiction of the reflection of sun on water led the artist to expand the suns in her piece to a series of five splashes. The resulting asymmetry and abstraction suddenly becomes utterly modern.

Although we love tapestries at Mozaico, we also see the need for art that’s durable and suitable for all kinds of environments. That’s why we have our huge catalog of mosaic designs that can be installed on walls, showers, pools, backsplashes, and more. For example – this gorgeous Splash design. It shares the loveliness of Aëgerter’s watery color palette, but can be customized for any surface in your own home.

Ready to transform any space in your home with glorious art? Be sure to spend some time relaxing in our online exhibition of mosaic designs!