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and Christian Tortu, hotels, spas, Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, Tomorrowland in Japan, and fashion companies around the world. Lisa Fontanarosa, Christophe's agent in the U.S., explains her client's work: "Marie has an eye for turning the functional into the extraordinary, and every piece she creates is a fairy tale filled with wonder. She works very spontaneously, usually skipping the sketching and improvising as her spirit moves her. I l o v e t o w a t c h h e r w o r k . I t 's a l m o s t intuitive. She's able to coax movement from a length of wire, and she caresses it and magically makes it twist and bend to create a tree of life, lilies, cicadas, hot-air balloons, and towering chandeliers." Christophe spins virtuoso displays of steel-wire penguins, life-size horses, s t e e l - w i r e h o t - air balloons, rare species of birds, and even bees. The scale of her sculptures and lighting can be heroic. The colossal new chandelier she created for Guerlain's perfume boutique in the town of Versailles is a confection in gold and clear crystal. The multilevel LED chandelier — seven feet high with a four-foot diameter — is made with antique gold crystals sourced from local flea markets and embedded with gold paper. Cosmopolitan U.S.-based interior designers who have commissioned her designs include Alessandra Branca, Oliver Furth, Fern Santini, Brian McCarthy, and Muriel Brandolini. Influential Paris designer Philippe M o d e l re c e n t l y i n t r o d u c e d a shimmering cluster of her crystal-beaded pagoda-shaped chandeliers and playful mini-chandeliers, each individually shaped, to the frescoed kitchen/dining room of a newly renovated 17th-century palazzo in the heart of Turin in northern Italy. They float on air — a glittering and witty riposte to the formal columns and arches of the historic palazzo. Paris architect and interior designer Jean-Louis Deniot is a staunch supporter of her work and introduced Christophe's aerial acrobatics as a counterpoint to the neoclassical antique and fine art collections in his Paris and Chantilly residences. "Marie works meticulously with simple hand tools and turns very basic wire into individually crafted chandeliers, elegant floral sconces, even abstract sculptures," he says. Christophe's enchanting beaded and embellished lighting now hangs in rooms that Deniot has created for clients in New Delhi mansions, Tangier hillside houses, New York apartments, and a Paris atelier o v e r l o o k i n g the Seine. "I'm especially proud of the designs I craft for Jean-Louis [Deniot]," Christophe says. "It's the ideal collaborative designer/ artist relationship. With him, I have an inspiring meeting of the minds, a conversation, ideas exchanged. He makes me evolve and seek new answers. In this way, my work continues to evolve — to my great pleasure." mariechristophe. com. In the U.S., L i s a Fo n t a n a r o s a C o l l e c t i o n , lfontanarosa@ mac.com. Clockwise: Miles et une Nuit chandelier Wood branch chandelier Lanterne chandelier Marie Christophe's chandeliers in Turin Marie Christophe 81