Reflective red spheres form a heart-shaped sculpture on a round metal base against a white background.

Kokoro (red)

€3,500

Reflective red spheres form a heart-shaped sculpture on a round metal base against a white background.

Jean-Michel Othoniel

Kokoro (red)

€3,500

Limited edition

Edition of 60

Shipping begins in April and finishes in August

Artwork

Sold out


Love this work?

Subscribe to get notified about any cancellations and early access on next releases.

Jean-Michel Othoniel distills his monumental glass heart sculptures into a new limited edition brass work.

Kokoro (red) takes its name from the Japanese word referring to the heart as an organ and love itself. The form originated from Othoniel's first public commission in Japan – a giant red glass heart at the entrance of the Hara Museum ARC which visitors walked through. The heart has since appeared in numerous iterations, including a Murano glass version placed in Avignon chapel at the historic site where Renaissance poet Petrarch experienced love at first sight – what the French call ‘coup de foudre’.

Each sculpture is meticulously crafted from gold-plated polished brass with red tint using lost-wax casting to preserve the sensuality of the beads. Hand-assembled on a mirrored nickel-plated brass base, the reflection transforms the heart into a symbol of infinity.

Jean-Michel Othoniel looking towards the camera with his arms crossed
Jean-Michel Othoniel3 collaborationsThere are no limits to what Othoniel can imagine with glass. With a three-decade-long career behind him, his monumental sculptures only continue to grow in scale and symbolism. Utilising unorthodox materials including sulphur, wax and volcanic glass, Othoniel explores the possibilities of material, and how such materials reveal the poetic fragility of human experience. Colossal beaded necklaces are a central motif. With no-one wearing the chains, they represent “absence” and the ephemerality of life. Byzantine dances from the Middle Ages are an important influence, as well as the complex forms of nature. Resisting trends within conceptual art in the 1990s, Othoniel wanted to create something unabashedly beautiful.

Who else should know about this work?

Help us spread the word


Reviews from Avant collectors

  • Amazing platform and communication! Amazing art and print quality! Great service and support! Thanks!

  • strong work from all team members - i look forward to the next purchase!

  • You are the best in the business and the nicest people to do business with. Thank you!!

  • Extremely happy with the artwork but also the online insight to the production and interview with the artist. The shipping and packaging are very considered and I look forward to seeing ( & buying ) other pieces

  • Love my new Snowfro piece and all the little extras that came with it! The tote bag in particular is immaculate 🤌

  • incredible super premium packaging! the unboxing experience was wow! the piece is gorgeous, looking forward to hang it

  • very good quality of the print and very professional service 👍

  • Thank you for paying attention to the details and for making even little peope feel grand. 🫶🏻


Discover more sculpture editions on Avant Arte

Gaia (White Marble)
Available
Hebru BrantleyGaia (White Marble)€35,000
Inside Us
Few left
Moe NakamuraInside Us€8,500
Alliance
Draw
Johnson TsangAlliance€950
Subtractive Variability Dimensional 13 AA
Draw
Felipe PantoneSubtractive Variability Dimensional 13 AA€2,000