Nudie Rudie Foam Sculptures by Etienne Gros, Photographed by Matthieu Lavanchy.

French artist Etienne Gros nips and tucks blocks of soft foam to make squidgy nude sculptures. Titled Les Mousses (“The Foams”) the sculptures depict the torso without limbs or heads, reminiscent of the stone statues remains from antiquity. So simple and so effective, though we have no doubt they would take just a little bit of skill to realise. Paris based photographer Matthieu Lavanchy visited the studio of the French artist to photograph his great sculpture work, and you’ll have to agree that the result is nothing short of brilliant. And slightly hilarious, in fact.

Gros studied at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris and now has a studio in Ile de France, where he mostly produces fleshy paintings and drawings. He is no stranger to the nude – in fact, his whole oeuvre is made up almost exclusively of contemplating it in different media. Just like the many artists before him, the naked female form is both a thorough study of mass and flesh but also for the love of it – although Etienne is the only artist we’ve come across who expressed his love of female form by sculpting sponge.

[Photography © Matthieu Lavanchy.]