Le Diamantaire
Street Artist

Diamonds with a strong identity, displayed on the street corners… you inevitably have seen the work of the street artist: Le Diamantaire! Profile of a renown artist, rooted to the street art scene and passionate since his childhood.

Maison Mère - Le Diamantaire
Le Diamantaire ©Le Diamantaire MM Gallery

The graffiti;
the early stages of his passion

Originally from Normandy, Le Diamantaire discovered graffiti in 2001, with his skaters group of friends: “When you are 12, it is a matter of existing in the eyes of others, to do something out of the ordinary, leave a mark, with carelessness, freedom”. Then, he tried stencil technique while studying metalwork. He finally packed up his bags to move to Paris where he studied visual communication and attempted to find a balance between his love for material and for graffiti. “I did not really think about becoming an artist, because my family culture did not teach me that we could combine work and hobbies.”

Maison Mère - Le Diamantaire ©Maison Mère - Le Diamantaire

The Diamond
story of its birth

The symbolic behind the diamond is to give a second chance to things, indeed, his creations are made from mirrors found in the streets. In 2011, during an English class, the first sketch of the diamond appeared. Thanks to the support of his classmates, he quickly wanted to place his creations in Paris, focusing on touristic places first. One year later, he had already reaped the rewards of his work : he exhibited in galleries and sold his first masterpieces. 
Nowadays the Diamantaire works alone and does not chase after collaborations. His philosophy is: “work, show your work and people will come to you”. Besides lending his image to brands, like Fiat 500x, Eastpak, Playstation, Jordan; the artist has developed the diamantoscope, that can be rented for events. There is even an Instagram filter.

Maison Mère - Le Diamantaire ©Maison Mère - Le Diamantaire

Street art,
from the street to art galleries

In 2008, street art was democratized thanks to Banksy movie, and it is now not uncommon that prestigious art galleries host exhibitions of street artists, like the Galerie Perrotin in Paris. The Diamantaire draws his inspiration from various street artists with a strong identity: Obey (Shepard Fairey), Invader, or Monsieur Chat. Yet he raises some questions in this movement, once considered as a subculture: “Nowadays, the pop art movement, for instance, works very well because many people do not know the basics, whether being artists or buyers: many are followers and ignore what they buy”. According to him, the main problem of street art is that it became an off-street artistic movement, very trendy: “Being a street artist, it is, above all, being recognized by his peers, not only having a spray-paint can”.

Maison Mère - Le Diamantaire ©Maison Mère - Le Diamantaire

Discover the Diamantaire’s works during your stay in Paris: more than 1800 diamonds have been displayed all over the world, and some are located nearby the hotel Maison Mère, in the 9th district of Paris. What if the Diamantaire takes part of the hotel interior design? Stay tuned with Maison Mère's news on our Instagram account. 

 

Thank you to the Diamantaire for the interview :)