Marie Jeunet
Marie Jeunet is a French artist and designer based in Paris whose practice explores the poetic relationship between light, material, and emotion through collectible lighting and sculptural objects. After more than a decade working as a creative for leading luxury houses, she established her own studio to develop a distinctive body of work inspired by decorative arts, jewellery, and traditional craftsmanship. Working with glass, stone, brass, and semi-precious materials, Jeunet transforms light into a narrative element, revealing the unique character and history of each material through delicate sculptural compositions.
Guided by a fascination with precious objects and the expressive qualities of light, Jeunet creates collectible pieces that balance refined craftsmanship with sculptural elegance. Her works blur the boundaries between art, design, and jewellery, combining minimalist forms with rich materiality to evoke contemplation and emotion. Through close collaboration with skilled artisans, she develops timeless creations that celebrate the beauty of light, texture, and the enduring dialogue between material and imagination.
Interview
I grew up surrounded by nature, between fields and forests in the Vexin Natural Park, 45 minutes outside of Paris. I also came regularly to Paris to see my family, which forged a large part of my artistic culture. At the age of 12, I lost my father, and after that I moved around a lot; I got closer to Paris from year to year, and at 19 I moved there for my studies.
My paternal grandmother had the soul of an artist; she was engaged a lot with music and sang in cabarets. She grew up in Paris and was nourished by all kinds of arts. She married my grandfather, who had golden hands; he knew how to draw, paint, do calligraphy… and together they opened a lighting store.
This grandmother took me to Paris very often, to discover the city, its richness, to see shows and exhibitions… She was really a big part of my cultural education. I particularly liked the child surrealist movement, no doubt for its dreamlike universe. A world where we let the unconscious express itself freely. I felt well immersed in this world of dreams.
And then in the small village in the countryside where I lived as a child, there was a craftsman that I admired a lot, a master glassmaker. It is quite unlikely when you know that there were only 600 inhabitants in this village! He was in the square, in front of the church, a stone’s throw from my house. There was only one bakery and this craftsman, like the merchants in the village. I spent many hours in front of his studio. I dreamed of being able to manipulate all these colors too and play with light as he did… So you have to believe in your childhood dreams.
I worked for 12 years as a creative specializing in communication mainly for luxury brands.
I had the chance to work for Dior, Cartier, Saint-Laurent, among others. I really enjoyed learning from these great houses. To be able to produce content and tell their stories, I first had to know the story of these brands well.
I also got an eye because I exchanged daily with artistic directors, photographers, or directors; it was very enriching.
At the same time, in my free time, I learned to make stained glass, and then the confinement was the trigger. I started; I was lucky to be well surrounded, and that gave me the strength to dare.
I started working on stained glass in a Parisian workshop, but I was frustrated at not being able to create anything other than panels when glass was an incredibly rich medium. I was overwhelmed by the reflections the glass was able to produce. So I had to find a way to bring it to life in a different way.
I am also passionate about the decorative arts; I collect a lot of objects that I search carefully, sometimes for months. I affectionately call them “My precious ones”. So I wanted to create narrative and emotional objects.
I draw a lot of inspiration from nature, the elements, flowers, colors, light, reflections…. And the other strong influence is the world of jewellery; I love goldsmithing, and I started to work on carving this year.
As with a piece of jewellery, I do my best to sublimate the material, and for that I literally highlight it.
There aren’t really any typical days. I would rather say that there are different categories of days. The days of drawings, research, and days dedicated to the imagination – my favorites!
The production days require a lot of concentration because I work with very fragile materials. They require attention, but they also bring out very beautiful emotions. Succeeding in bringing an idea to life is always a magical moment.
And then there are more administrative days of development and communication around my work. It’s not my favorite part, but you have to do it.
For their rarity and uniqueness. They all tell a different story; some, like onyx and marble, have been buried for millennia, and each highlighted vein reveals a bit of history. Glass, depending on its texture and colors, can transport us to totally different universes. Brass comes as the finishing touch, consecrating the works as “precious objects”.
I try to create light sculptures that float on the walls, for example. Unfortunately, they do not hold together by magic, and finding the right structure is not always easy. And it’s a bit the same for the models to be posed. For the Gems collection, the jewels are very large; the volumes, which recall the codes of the jewels, are voluntarily exaggerated, and yet the pieces are fine and flexible, which one cannot guess at first. For the white onyx designs, I create the illusion of lightness with the material looking like a cloud when the pieces are actually very dense.
I would say that even without training, you should not be afraid to dare. We can learn everything through passion, even later on.
It’s hard to choose just one; my work is really a mixture of several totally different universes.
Some pieces are minimalist; others could approach surrealism with very organic shapes…
Max Ingrand, Willy Daro, Willy Rizzo, Mariah Pergay.
Pauline Deltour, she was my friend, my guide, and my lucky star. Without her, I would never have started. Her disappearance is a huge loss for the world of design and for the world in general.
Sabine Marcellis, the queen!
Daniel Roseberry at Schiaparelli.
Georgia O’Keeffe, Mark Adams, Ema Larson for their work on color.
Simone Pheulpin, Zhu Omu, Ronan Bouroullec, Kate McGwire for the organic shapes, strata, volumes.
Robert Gossens and Les Lalanes for the goldsmith work.
Poetic, delicate, precious.
That I feel very lucky to be able to experience all of this.
“Succeeding in bringing an idea to life is always a magical moment.”
The Questions
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)
The reflections of the sun on the sea
To lose my loved ones
My emotional storms
Lack of empathy
My spouse, a model of love, wisdom and benevolence
To make the most of life
In love with life
The justice that I find unequal far too often
Sensibility
Strength
Smiles
To sing in tune
I wish I had more self-confidence
My conversion
A swallow
In the sun, facing the Mediterranean Sea
Memories of my dad
Racism
Look for rare items, the ones I call “my precious ones”
My joie de vivre
Honest
Boris Vian
Maude for her extraordinary joie de vivre. “Harold & Maude” to read and see absolutely! Al Ashby’s film is a marvel. An ode to life, to love, to madness
Lady Diana, Princess of the Heart. Princess but free!
The caregivers and volunteers around the world
Orson, my son’s first name of course
Intolerance and milk
Never have traveled alone
With a smile
“Strong; otherwise it’s not worth it”. I like the intensity
“I wanted to create narrative and emotional objects.”
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