Fabrice Hybert

Fabrice Hybert
Self portrait of Hyber, 2005
Born (1961-07-12) 12 July 1961 (age 65)
Luçon, Vendée, France
EducationNantes School of Art
Style
  • Visual artist
  • assembly
  • video
  • painting
  • drawing
AwardsGolden Lion (1997), Officier des Arts et des Lettres (2012), member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts (2018)

Fabrice Hybert (born 12 July 1961), also known as Fabrice Hyber, is a French visual artist. His work engages with themes from nature, economics, commerce, and science in drawing, sculpture, installations, and video.

Hyber was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 2018. In March 2022, he was appointed chairman of the Centre national des arts plastiques (France) by order of the Minister of Culture.

Hybert has stated that his work explores “the enormous reservoir of the possible”. In 2004, he began to refer to himself as Fabrice Hyber.

Fabrice Hyber drawing in his workshop (2022)

Early life and education

Hybert was born in Luçon, Vendée on 12 July 1961. After spending his childhood in Vendée, Hybert studied mathematics and physics before enrolling in art studies. From 1979 to 1985, he studied at the Nantes School of Fine Arts.

Career

In 1981, Hybert produced his first painting, Square meter of lipstick. In 1984, it was shown at the International Drawing Biennial of Saint-Étienne [fr]. That same year he presented his first solo exhibition, Mutation, in Nantes.

Environmental themes are frequently present in his work. In 2000, he was commissioned to create a project for the Arc de Triomphe. In 2001, Sidaction commissioned him to create L'Artère, installed in the Parc de la Villette, which was developed between 2002 and 2006.

In 2007, he installed Le Cri, l'Écrit in the Jardin du Luxembourg, a public commission commemorating the end of slavery in France.

Hyber designed sculpture gardens in Japan and Texas. He collaborated with the architectural firm Jakob + MacFarlane on the Euronews headquarters in Lyon (2015). In 2018, he produced painted decorations for the glass roof of the Parisian palace Lutetia. He also produced "Les Deux Chênes" for Beaupassage from the double molding of a three-hundred-year-old tree from the Vendée valley.

In 2021, Hyber became ambassador of the “ONF-Agir pour la forêt” fund.

Hyber frequently incorporates scientific themes into his work. He has worked on projects connected with the Institut Pasteur. In 2007, he collaborated with the American biotechnologist Robert S. Langer on the theme of stem cells, as well as with the Institut Pasteur and Professor Olivier Schwartz. With the COVID-19 pandemic, he explored themes related to viruses.

Hyber established partnerships with companies early in his career. He founded the SARL UR: Unlimited Responsibility in 1994, open to other creators. One of UR's objectives is to fund artistic projects.

In 1995, the Musée d'Art moderne de Paris presented the “Hybertmarché” exhibition in collaboration with the University of Lünebourg, involving Hyber and UR company.

Hyber collaborated with a spirits company in 2021 and with a luxury leather goods designer in 2022.

Selected projects

The POFs

Beginning in 1991, Hyber developed what he calls POFs (Prototypes of in-operation objects) inspired by everyday life. Examples include Endless Staircase, the Swing or the Square Balloon.

In 2018, the Maison des POF was created as part of the percent for art for the new building of the Nantes Art School.

L’Homme de Bessines

As a commission for the town of Bessines (Deux-Sèvres) in 1991, Hyber dispersed six bronze figures painted green in the village. At a height of 87 centimetres (34 in), each sculpture is pierced by eleven holes from which jets of water shoot out. The sculpture has been reproduced in several hundred copies, of varying sizes and appearances.

Eau d’or, eau dort, Odor and Spiral TV

Invited to use the French pavilion at the 47th Venice Biennale in 1997, Hyber created Eau d'Or, Eau Dort, Odor, an experimental filming studio with the participation of Jean Rouch and the public. The project received a Golden Lion award.

The Spiral TV project produced for the Wacoal Art Center in Tokyo in 1999 explored similar themes.

Inconnu.net

From September to November 2000, Hyber deployed a belt of a hundred birch trees around the Arc de Triomphe, supported by the inconnu.net website.

L'Artère, le jardin des dessins

In 2001, to mark the 20th anniversary of the appearance of AIDS, the Sidaction association launched a call for projects for the creation of a commemorative monument. Hyber's project was an ensemble made up of ceramics designed by the artist and produced in Monterrey, Mexico. Produced from 2002 to 2006, the work installed in the Parc de la Villette is described as a rhizomatic storyboard.

Le Cri, L'Écrit

Announced in 2006 by President Chirac, this public work was dedicated to the end of slavery in France. The 3.7m high polychrome bronze sculpture was completed in 2007.

C’Hyber(t) Rallies

Hybert developed the first “Hyber(t) Rally” in Tokyo in 2001. The project invites spectators to take part in a treasure hunt to find objects hidden in everyday spaces. It has been duplicated in other locales.

Collections

Public collections (selection)

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions (selection)

2016
  • « L’entier » par Fabrice Hyber, Cyrille Putman et galerie quatre, Arles, France
2020
  • Habiter la forêt, Nathalie Obadia Gallery, Paris, France
2021
  • Frisson d'Hyber, Gilles Drouault, galerie/multiples, Paris, France
  • Fresh Air, RX gallery, New York, United States
  • L'Artère 2021, La Villette, Paris, France
2022
  • Limited Edition hyberFournet, Camille Fournet’s shop, Paris, France
  • L'Homme de Bessines, Palais Royal, Paris, France
  • POF, Lasécu, Lille, France
2024
  • La forêt et L’amitié, installation métro Shanghai, China
  • Humeurs, Villa Cavrois, Croix, Lille, France

Collective exhibitions (selection)

2004

  • F2004@Shanghai, Année de la France en China, La Fabrique, Shanghai

2019

  • Coup de foudre, with Nathalie Talec, Foundation EDF, Paris
  • Nous les arbres, Fondation Cartier

2020

  • Habiter la forêt, Obadia Gallery Paris, France

2021

  • Napoléon ? Encore !, Army Museum (Paris), Paris, France
  • Trees, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China

2022

  • Vous êtes un arbre, Les Franciscaines, Deauville, France
  • Petit précipité subjectif d’une histoire des graines, Le 104, Paris, France

2023

  • Au temps du sida, œuvres, récits et entrelacs, Museum of modern and contemporary art of Strasbourg, MAMCS, Strasbourg, France

2024

  • L’Homme de bois, Travel in Nantes, 13e edition, Nantes, France

References

  1. ↑ Mun-Delsalle, Y-Jean. "French Artist Fabrice Hyber Believes In Learning By Doing". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2025-07-24. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  2. ↑ "Fabrice Hyber - Overview". Galerie Nathalie Obadia. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
  3. ↑ "Journal officiel de la République Française, Arrêté du 7 mars 2022 portant nomination au conseil d'administration du Centre national des arts plastiques". Legifrance (in French). 2022.
  4. ↑ "Eyestorm | Artworks | Gallery for Contemporary Art". www.eyestorm.com. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  5. ↑ Elisabeth Lebovici, Ce que le sida m'a fait, Art et activisme à la fin du XXe siècle, p.15, JRP éditions, Seconde édition février 2021
  6. ↑ Bernard Marcadé, Bart de Baere, Pierre Giquel (2009). Hyber. France: Flammarion. p. 280.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Myriam Lefraire (dir.), Alexandrine Dhainaut (2018). Vendée, regards sur la création contemporaine. France: lelivredart. pp. 6–9.
  8. ↑ "Fabrice Hyber | Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire". Archived from the original on 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  9. ↑ Emmanuelle Jardonnet, « Le peintre Fabrice Hyber fait école à la Fondation Cartier à Paris », Le Monde, 7 décembre 2022
  10. 1 2 Caroline Cros, Laurent Le Bon (dir.) (2008). L'art à ciel ouvert. France: Flammarion.
  11. ↑ "Fabrice Hyber, pour Emerige, Paris 7ème (Beaupassage)". www.culture.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  12. ↑ "Le fonds " ONF-Agir pour la forêt " accueille son premier ambassadeur, l'artiste-semeur Fabrice Hyber". 2 December 2021.
  13. 1 2 Universalis, Encyclopædia. "Biographie de FABRICE HYBERT (1961- )". Encyclopædia Universalis (in French). Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  14. ↑ "Fabrice Hyber, ce drôle d'artiste entrepreneur". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  15. ↑ "organoide - Accueil". www.organoide-pasteur.fr. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  16. ↑ "Un programme artistique pour permettre à de jeunes artistes de trouver de nouveaux moyens de production de leurs oeuvres en partenariat avec des entreprises et avec le soutien d'écoles d'art et de commerce du monde entier". lesrealisateurs.com (in French). Archived from the original on 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2018-02-12..
  17. ↑ Bernard Marcadé, Bart de Baere, Pierre Giquel (2009). Hyber. France: Flammarion. pp. 22–26.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ "Le couple explosif Robert Langer-Fabrice Hyber". Le Figaro. 2007.
  19. ↑ "Entretien. Fabrice Bousteau : " On a besoin d'art et d'air ! "". Ouest-France. 29 May 2020.
  20. ↑ "Fabrice Hyber". Stratégies (in French). 2006-10-26. Archived from the original on 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  21. 1 2 Catherine Millet (2005). L'art contemporain en France. France: Flammarion. pp. 319–320.
  22. ↑ Bernard Marcadé, Bart de Baere, Pierre Giquel (2009). Hyber. France: Flammarion. pp. 41–43.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ Bernard Marcadé, Bart de Baere, Pierre Giquel (2009). Hyber. France: Flammarion. pp. 57–62.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ↑ "Fabrice Hyber fait le printemps pour la maison Camille Fournet". Connaissance des Arts (in French). 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2022-03-25..
  25. ↑ "Un gin aux frontières de l'œuvre". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-27..
  26. ↑ "VIVRE EN POF". kunstraum.leuphana.de. Retrieved 2026-03-17.
  27. ↑ La Maison des POF, dossier de presse (PDF). France. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2020-11-09.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  28. ↑ "Fabrice Hybert - Biénale de Venise". Les Inrockuptibles 71-74 (in French).
  29. ↑ "À Venise, une 47e Biennale sans audace… - 4 juillet 1997 - Le Journal des Arts - n° 41". Le Journal Des Arts (in French). Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  30. ↑ Bernard Marcadé, Bart de Baere, Pierre Giquel (2009). Hyber. France: Flammarion. pp. 71–74.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  31. ↑ Bernard Marcadé, Bart de Baere, Pierre Giquel (2009). Hyber. France: Flammarion. pp. 75–76.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ↑ "E. T. • Arc de Triomphe Paris, Changement de temps un..." E. T. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  33. ↑ L'Artère Le jardin des dessins Une œuvre de Fabrice Hyber Paris, Parc de la Villette, dossier de presse (PDF). France. 2006.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  34. ↑ Comité national pour la mémoire et l’histoire de l’esclavage (2007). "Paris, jardin du Luxembourg. Inauguration : Le cri, l'écrit de Fabrice Hyber".
  35. ↑ "107 - Sénat". www.senat.fr. Archived from the original on 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  36. ↑ Eriko Arita (2001). "Watari-um, where the world of art is accessible to 'ordinary people'".
  37. ↑ Aujourd'hui, L'Art. "Hybert en pôle position - le Centre d?art contemporain de Vassivière et ses environs seront le théâtre,ce week-end, du dernier happening imaginé par Fabrice Hybert, le c?hybert rallye. Explication de texte par son auteur. - Art of the day". www.artoftheday.info. Archived from the original on 2020-10-12. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  38. ↑ "Fabrice Hybert". www.moca.org. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  39. ↑ Musée national d’art moderne-Centre Pompidou (2020-08-28). "Fabrice Hyber". Navigart.fr (in French). Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  40. ↑ "Fabrice Hyber". Mudam. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  41. ↑ MuHKA. "Fabrice Hyber". www.muhka.be. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  42. ↑ "Fabrice Hyber". Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  43. ↑ Frac des Pays de la Loire (2020-08-28). "Programme d'entreprise indéterminée by Fabrice Hyber". Navigart.fr (in French). Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  44. ↑ CAPC Musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux (2020-12-10). "Peinture homéopathique n°6 by Fabrice Hyber". Navigart.fr (in French). Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  45. ↑ Quatre, Galerie (2016-08-30). "«L'entier» par Fabrice Hyber". Isabelle Arthuis, Shadowplay (in French). Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  46. ↑ "Galerie Nathalie Obadia: Current Show". www.nathalieobadia.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-01-13..
  47. ↑ "Frisson d'Hyber, Fabrice Hyber".
  48. ↑ "Fabrice Hyber fait son retour à New York à la galerie RX". 3 September 2021.
  49. ↑ "Fabrice Hyber - la Villette - Paris". La Villette - Paris. Archived from the original on 2022-06-26. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  50. ↑ "Fabrice Hyber fait le printemps pour la maison Camille Fournet". 22 March 2022.
  51. ↑ "Au Palais Royal, à la découverte de la joyeuse troupe des petits hommes verts de Fabrice Hyber". 16 April 2022.
  52. ↑ "[Pof] : Exposition Fabrice Hyber". Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  53. ↑ "De la verdure dans le métro". Le Journal Des Arts (in French). Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  54. ↑ CMN. "Humeurs - CMN". www.villa-cavrois.fr (in French). Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  55. ↑ "Blod de renaud Donnedieu de Vabres". rddv.fr/ (in French). 14 October 2004. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  56. ↑ "" Coup de Foudre " de Fabrice Hyber et Nathalie Talec". Archived from the original on 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2020-11-09., mars à octobre 2019.
  57. ↑ "Exposition Nous les arbres" (in French). Fondation Cartier. 10 June 2023..
  58. ↑ "Galerie Nathalie Obadia: Current Show". www.nathalieobadia.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-07-17..
  59. ↑ "Napoléon ? Encore ! - de Marina Abramović à Yan Pei-Ming".
  60. ↑ "Trees". 12 March 2021.
  61. ↑ "Exposition "Vous Êtes Un Arbre !"". 7 January 2022. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  62. ↑ GRANIER, Pierre Normann (2022-06-18). "FranceFineArt - "Galeries du 20e siècle"". FranceFineArt (in French). Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  63. ↑ "" Au temps du sida. Œuvres, récits et entrelacs "". Sidaction (in French). Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  64. ↑ "L'Homme de bois - œuvre de Fabrice Hyber - Jardin des plantes, Nantes". Le Voyage à Nantes (in French). Retrieved 2026-01-03.

Appendices

Bibliography

Monographs

  • Frederic Bougle, 1-1 = 2 Entretiens avec Fabrice Hybert, Nantes, Éditions Joca Seria, 1992-1994
  • Pascal Rousseau, Fabrice Hybert, Paris, Hazan, 1999
  • Guy Tortosa, POF HYBERT, Paris, UR éditions, 1999
  • Thierry Laurent, Il est interdit de mourir, Paris, Au même titre éditions, 2003
  • Fabrice Hyber, Richesses, Paris, Éditions Jannink, 2004
  • Bernard Marcadé, Baert de Baere, Pierre Giquel, Hyber, Paris, Flammarion, 2009.
  • Philippe Forest, Bernard Marcadé, Olivier Schwartz, Yves Jammet, L'Artère - Le Jardin des dessins, Nantes, Éditions Cécile Defaut, 2009.
  • Gilles Coudert, Alice Dautry, Pascal Rousseau, Olivier Schwartz, Fabrice Hyber Sans gêne livre DVD, Paris, Après éditions, 2012.
  • Donatien Grau, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Hyber… Hyber, Paris, Bernard Chauveau éditeur, 2014.

Catalogs of personal exhibitions

  • Pierre Giquel, Fabrice Hybert Mutation, Nantes, La Maison de l'avocat, 1986.
  • Guy Tortosa, Pierre Giquel, Fabrice Hybert, Direction régionale des affaires culturelles du Limousin, 1987.
  • Jean-Louis Froment, Pierre Giquel, Catherine Strasser, Fabrice Hybert, œuvres de 1981 à 1993, CapcMusée d'Art contemporain de Bordeaux, 1993.
  • Bernard Ceysson, Friedemann Malsch, Plus lourd à l'intérieur, Éditions du musée d'Art moderne de Saint-Étienne, 1995.
  • Jean-Pierre Changeur, Alice Dautry, Annick Perrot, Olivier Schwartz, Fabrice Hyber à l'Institut Pasteur, Paris, Institut Pasteur, 2010.
  • Jacqueline Frydman, Pascal Rousseau, Fabrice Hyber, Moscow, Maison de la photographie de Moscou, 2010.
  • Nicolas Setari, POF Prototypes d'objets en fonctionnement 1991-2012, Vitry-sur-Seine, MAC VAL, 2012.
  • Olivier Kaeppelin, Bernard Marcadé, Pascal Rousseau, Essentiel peintures homéopathiques, Saint-Paul de Vence, Fondatien Maeght, 2012.

Others

  • Bourriaud, Nicolas. 2002. Relational aesthetics, Documents sur l'art. Dijon: Les presses du réel.