Laurence Jenkell

Overview

Laurence Jenkell is a French painter and sculptor living and working in Vallauris, France, on the Côte d’Azur—a region celebrated for its vibrant artistic heritage and deep-rooted ceramic traditions. She began her artistic journey in the mid-1990s, experimenting with techniques such as inclusion, dripping, and casting. Over time, she mastered the innovative process of heating and twisting sheets of plexiglass into sculptural forms, ultimately creating her signature “Wrapping Candy” series. These colorful, large-scale bonbons are realized in a variety of materials, including plexiglass, bronze, aluminum, marble, wood, polyester, and Murano glass.

The iconic candy motif was born from a personal story—an early childhood deprivation of sweets—which Laurence Jenkell transformed into a universal language of art. For her, the candy symbolizes both emotional healing and collective nostalgia. Through her unique wrapping technique, she explores themes of identity, inner tension, and release. Over the years, she has expanded this formal language into new bodies of work—such as DNA helices, robots, and butterflies—drawing inspiration from science, technology, and the complexity of the human experience.

Her sculptures have garnered international acclaim and are featured in public and private collections across more than 25 countries. Landmark installations include “Candy Nations” at the 2011 G20 Summit in Cannes, “Wrapping Candy” at the Oculus at the World Trade Center in New York in 2018, and a monumental 5-meter candy sculpture inaugurated in 2023 on the A8 autoroute in Nice. Represented by leading galleries such as Oblong Contemporary, Laurence Jenkell continues to captivate global audiences with her vibrant, symbolic creations—seamlessly merging personal narrative, pop culture, and sculptural innovation into a singular, unforgettable aesthetic.

Works