Ateliers d'art de France presents

The Favorite Selection of Pastry Chef Frédéric Bau

Frederic Bau is a talented French pastry chef, trained by such great names as Pierre Koenig, Claude Bourguignon and Pierre Hermé. He joined the Valrhona house in 1988, where his knowledge of chocolate has been put to the test. He is passionate about art and materials. Creative and visionary, he created de Mains de Maître, a concept of conferences, demonstrations and exhibitions to share his vision of the creative process. He also showcases the work of chefs and artists by organizing his own exhibitions. This lover of creativity reveals his creative favorites from the Révélations show.
Where does your attraction for the arts and crafts come from? I've always been very sensitive to the manual arts. The gesture, the hand and its intelligence have always fascinated me.  In my profession, as in that of my brother Emmanuel, an art cabinetmaker, or in the work of my friends, potters, ceramists, painters and sculptors, we find the emotions generated by the combination of hands and heads. I admire these fusions. What connection do you make between the métiers d’art and your work as a pastry and chocolate chef? The relationship with materials is obvious. Materials are alive, whether it’s chocolate, clay, sugar, or iron. Melting, twisting, fracturing, emulsifying, baking—there are so many similarities between earth and chocolate. We speak the same language. What interest do you see in attending Révélations, the international biennale of fine crafts and creation? Révélations is the key event dedicated to fine crafts and international creation, and I have a deep appreciation for the art and intelligence of the hand. For me, it’s a privilege to discover these artists. In fact, in April 2026, I am organizing a second exhibition in Paris called EGG'XTRAORDINAIRE. It’s a project driven by the desire to intertwine arts and materials through the intelligence of the hand. You can see that art is an essential part of my life—though, unfortunately, I will never have a Soulages at home!
© Romain Glorieux

Romain Glorieux

« Boldly and elegantly blending clay with glass means artfully and precisely playing with the strength of materials that both complement and, above all, contrast each other. A fractal creation that I love.»

© Dorothée Parent

Delphine Grandvaux

« An art that hangs by a thread. From this thread springs elegance. It seems so fragile, but like a reed that never breaks, her works are wonderfully supple»

Pascal Oudet

« I'm fascinated by this tribute to life and the passage of time through nature. So fragile, so quick, so ephemeral, it's a gift of life that Pascal Oudet gives us, revealing the strata of time with his magical hands.»

© Pascal Oudet
© Héléna Guy Lhomme

Héléna Guy Lhomme

« It's hard to imagine gourmandise being expressed through a material like carded wool. A delicacy for all seasons, where pretense is disturbingly talented. These fruits exude such sweetness that you just want to touch them.»

© Mane Phély

Mane Phély

« It's just beautiful to bring out so much power and contrast in a sheet of cardboard. A seemingly simple material, yet one that holds so many surprises when it passes through the artist's hands.»

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