Ongoing conservation efforts safeguard Val’s public sculptures, preserving their place in Bangkok’s cultural landscape and beyond.
Public sculptures by French artist Valérie Goutard (1967–2016), known as Val, have become an integral part of the urban and cultural landscapes of Bangkok and cities around the world. A comprehensive restoration and conservation initiative is now underway to ensure that these works endure for generations to come, remaining in the locations for which they were originally conceived.
In Bangkok, the initiative includes restoration work at Alliance Française de Bangkok, CLARA Italian restaurant and Benchasiri Park. Plans are also being developed to support the long-term care of Val’s sculptures at other locations throughout Thailand and internationally.
Preserving Val’s Artistic Legacy in Bangkok and Beyond
Val moved to Bangkok in 2004 and worked closely with local foundries to create a cohesive body of 341 sculptures over the following 12 years. Through figurative forms set within architectural structures and diverse environments, her work explores universal aspects of the human experience, often reflecting on themes of balance, solitude, freedom and humanity’s place in the world.
Several of her sculptures have become familiar features of Bangkok’s public spaces and architectural settings. Conservation work under the current initiative includes the following:
Alliance Française de Bangkok: Attraction II has recently undergone a comprehensive restoration.
CLARA: At this renowned Italian restaurant housed in a former art gallery, three large-scale bronze sculptures by Val have been cleaned and refinished with a renewed patina.
Benchasiri Park: Ville fantastique II, a distinctive sculpture donated by Val to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in 2015, has also received a new patina.
Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit: Inle Balance III has been carefully maintained since its installation, demonstrating the importance of ongoing conservation for sculptures in both public spaces and architectural settings.
The conservation initiative extends beyond Bangkok. At Koh Tao, where Val’s underwater installation Ocean Utopia was installed in 2016, a new photographic survey is planned to document the work’s development and transformation over time. Coral growth and marine life continue to shape the appearance of this underwater sculpture, creating an evolving interaction between art and the natural environment.
Continuing the Commitment to Artistic Preservation
Since Val’s passing in 2016, her husband, Frédéric Morel, has continued the work they began together, overseeing her artistic legacy, maintaining her sculptures and systematically documenting her entire body of work.
The ongoing conservation programme reflects a commitment not only to preserving the physical condition and artistic integrity of Val’s sculptures, but also to safeguarding their presence in the places for which they were created, or where they have become firmly established as part of the local landscape.
This work is supported by Val’s continuously updated Catalogue Raisonné, which documents all 341 sculptures alongside information on exhibitions, public installations and archival materials tracing the evolution of her artistic practice.
For more information or enquiries, visit www.sculptureval.com or contact [email protected].
