The Monumental Flowers of Alexis Boyer

While he was growing up, surrounded by the poppy flowers in Burgundy, people in his hometown used to call him the “poppy guy”. Now, Alexis Boyer has made ‘La Fleur Monumentale’, a project dedicated to the design of monumental, as the name indicates, poppy flowers.

During the Maison&Objet fair in September, we had the chance to speak with Alexis Boyer. The multidisciplinary artist, landscaper and sculptor is the creator of ‘La Fleur Monumentale‘. The massive flower sculptures were hard to miss, and could easily get a “wow” out of their viewers. Alexis was gleefully handing out miniature versions of the sculptures to those who stopped to admire and have a chat. This is a habit of his, as we later found out.

‘La Fleur Monumentale’ was created in 2024, a project dedicated to the creation of monumental flower sculptures. Just two months later, Alexis Boyer was invited to exhibit his flowers in Château de Cheverny and in Château du Petit Chêne.

From Burgundy to the Sahara

In 2017, Alexis embarked on a hiking journey that started in Burgundy, his hometown, and ended in the Sahara desert. During his travels, he distributed poppy seeds to the people he encountered. When asked about the symbolism behind these offerings, he said that it was “about giving something to other people, like pleasure”. He continued, “When you give a seed to someone, something is growing, like when you first meet (…). For me, it’s about passion. To give seeds, poppy seeds, and love”.

Alexis’ connection to poppies, his favourite flower, had started years before, during childhood. “Where I was born, in Burgundy, in France, there were a lot of poppy flowers. In 2016, I made a trip with my bike in Europe, and the starting point was my hometown. It was the first time I returned to this place”, he said. “And so it was very important when I saw all the poppies and all the people around me. I only lived there for three years, and everyone knew me from when I was very young, and they’d say, «Oh, it’s the poppy guy, always with the flower»”.

Painting and sculpting with light

A year after his trip, he studied landscaping, captivated by the idea of using light to paint living and artistic landscapes. “I always admired and observed light”, he said. “A long time ago, my parents used to come to Maison&Objets because they created lighting with a special paper. So I grew up in the workshop watching them work. Since a young age, I’ve been totally in love with light and all the effects you can see in nature. And, in every trip I did, my focus was always on the light, the landscape.”

However, while admiring the natural effects of light, his intention is not to imitate nature. “It’s impossible to do it. The first poppy I made, for example, was only shiny, without the matte finishing. And, for me, the best thing was the shade effect. It was like an image. My intention was to create a reflection on the ground with the effect of the sun hitting this sculpture. So, I don’t know, I don’t want to imitate [nature], but it’s a really good object of creation. (…) What I do is more of a botanical thing. I am more attracted by botanics than nature because nature is nothing but everything.”

Alexis Boyer, his friends, and a story to tell

Alexis likes to keep a close relationship with his buyers. “I’m friends with all of my customers”, he tells us. He’s interested in connecting with the people that buy his work for the right reasons. He would rather eat plain rice and pasta than sell to someone who doesn’t have genuine interest in his pieces.

His main concern is to share stories through his work. “When you use the poppy to symbolise something, or to share a message, it’s really easy because everyone has a story with a flower”, he says. “I think my customers are more interested in my personal story first, rather than in my flower. And, sometimes, when I give the little flowers, people say, «I’ll keep it, for real». And when I come for the installation to their home, the first thing I always do is say «Oh, look, your flower is here» and I remember the seed.”

For his upcoming project, Alexis is going to be focusing on the art of rock skipping. “I’m a a mountain guide in the Amazon rainforest. I want to develop a trip for people who want to travel”, he explains. “It will be a rock skipping project and an association for young people.” He tells us that his intention is to gather young people who may be facing difficulties or figuring out their path, and bring them into the mountains. However, he is still unsure what form the project will take artistically, whether as a sculpture, painting, or photography project.

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