Richard Orlinski

Richard Orlinski - Art and Biography of the Artist Born Wild

Born in 1966, Richard Orlinski is a Parisian sculptor famous for his depictions of animals and symbols of mass culture in Pop and Street Art.

After obtaining numerous degrees from prestigious universities such as the University of Paris-1 and the Institut de management international de Paris, Orlinski began working while devoting himself to art for leisure. In the early 2000s, he quit his job to devote himself entirely to art, presenting his first work to the public in 2004, namely a sculpture of a crocodile in red resin entitled Born Wild©.

"My animals reflect the human soul, its flaws, our animal side, an in-depth exploration of human nature." - Richard Orlinski

From this moment on, the artist explores the impulses of violence, convinced that art is the means to appease human instincts. And so it is that the crocodile made by Richard Orlinski becomes an iconic work of his artistic production. Subsequently, international art galleries decided to exhibit his artworks in Aspen in the USA and at the Fiac in Paris.

Orlinski also began a series of collaborations, the most important of which include those with the chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin, the chef Frédéric Anto, the goldsmith Christofle, the fashion brand The Kooples, and the amusement park Disneyland Paris. For the latter, he created a sculpture of Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer's apprentice, reprising the character featured in the animated film Fantasia to celebrate the park's 25th anniversary.

In 2014, a sculpture by Richard Orlinski sold for €15 million.

The general public appreciates his sculptures as much as his artworks are part of art collections of celebrities such as Sharon Stone, Paul McCartney, Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep, Andy Garcia, Richard Branson, David Guetta, Tony Parker, and Omar Sy.

Besides being a world-renowned sculptor, Richard Orlinski is a painter, musician, and comedian. Orlinski is so interested in all forms of art that he was appointed Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by French Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin in 2021.

The works of Richard Orlinsk and his animal universe

Richard Orlinski's colorful sculptures quickly achieved global success. Crocodiles, panthers, wolves, and bears influence Orlinski's universe, along with fashionable clothing such as jeans, leather jackets and stiletto heels (belonging to Pop Art). Richard Orlinski's style is recognisable by the dynamic movement that animates each of his works.

The artworks designed by Orlinski have the desire to reach a large audience, which is why many of his monumental works appear on the streets of cities such as Paris, Venice and Miami. Richard Orlinski likes to exhibit outdoors and make art accessible to everyone.

"People are often too intimidated to visit galleries and museums, so I bring the museum to them!" - Richard Orlinski

Richard Orlinski thus creates works by playing with the proportions of animals and aims to give them strength, power and ferocity. 

Another key feature of Orlinski's works is the materials; the artist plays with and uses numerous materials such as aluminium, resin, glass and bronze.

In addition to Pop art, Richard Orlinski began to create works inspired by street art by filling his sculptures with animals and objects of mass consumption with graffiti and tags, once again making his sculptures more colourful and iconic.

Richard Orlinski: Gorilla 

The gorilla by Richard Orlinski is one of the most iconic subjects in his artistic production, so much so that he has created three different versions of the animal: Thinker Kong, Wild Kong and Wild Kong Oil.

The gorilla as a subject in Richard Orlinski's works expresses the Born Wild concept that the artist researches the use of animals in his sculptures. In this way, he explores the philosophical question of the difference between man and beast. 

In the sculpture Thinker Kong, Richard Orlinski uses the most human of his animals to embody the Thinker in homage to Rodin. Unlike the overly muscular build of the original, which contrasted with its reflective stance, the artist minimizes the gorilla's physical strength to focus on its reflective side.

In addition to showing this reflective side of the gorilla, Orlinski uses the animal to denounce the pollution that is rampant on our planet and has become a real plague. In Wild Kong Oil, we observe how the artist cares about the environment’s protection. In this version, the gorilla throws a can of oil: in this way, the artist emphasizes how the animal protects its territory and the species.

On the other hand, in Wild Kong, Orlinski shows the invincible animal with its mouth open while displaying its frightening teeth. The artist, however, makes us reflect on how this ferocious beast is also capable of tenderness by creating an allegory between the gorilla and man.

Richard Orlinski: Artworks for sale with Prices & Quotations from Deodato Arte 

For those interested in Richard Orlinski's artworks for sale, Deodato Arte offers a selection of works by the artist for sale online.

If you are interested in knowing about Richard Orlinski, prices, quotations or which works will be on display at the Deodato Arte Contemporary Art Gallery, do not hesitate to contact us by sending an e-mail to [email protected].