I like to meet the artists [whose work I buy]. I was astonished to see that a man like Philippe Roy — a blacksmith by trade, with such big hands — was able to make delicate sculptures with fine details, like the pair of reindeer. And it’s always very interesting to get to know the man himself, and where and how he lives.
I also spent a great deal of time with Olivier Lefebvre. He had a way of telling me very nice stories about the characters he carved. They had all existed. He had known them personally, and tried to carve them based on his memories — like the couple Alfred and Fraisine Lambert of La Prairie. I spent hours with him, listening to his stories. He was a true storyteller. He was also a musician; he played the fiddle. In his family, they often had big parties. He told me all kinds of things like that.
It’s important to learn more about the lives of these artists because,
if we don’t, one day it will be too late.