Antoine Dufilho: From Legendary Cars to Monumental Open-Air Sculptures
- Delphine & Romain Class
- Nov 7
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 10
Originally from northern France, Antoine Dufilho has, in just a few years, established himself as one of the most captivating figures on the contemporary pop art scene.His sculptures — composed of layers of steel, aluminium, or stainless steel — deconstruct matter to better reveal the movement of his car-inspired creations. His approach, at the crossroads of architecture, design, and kinetics, transforms industrial objects into poetic works of art.
A trained architect before devoting himself entirely to sculpture, Antoine Dufilho developed a technique he calls “Streamline”: a play of lines and voids that gives his works an apparent lightness, almost immaterial.“I try to freeze movement, to capture the sensation of speed in a suspended moment,” he explains.
His inspirations come directly from his family heritage. His great-uncle, Jacques Dufilho, an actor and passionate car collector, passed on to him a love for exceptional engineering. Yet Antoine subverts those codes: the bodywork becomes structure, speed becomes line, and the machine transforms into an architecture of light.
Reinvented Automotive Icons
Bugatti, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche, Mercedes, and Riva — these legendary names of engineering become, in Dufilho’s hands, metaphors for human drive, mechanical beauty, and the connection between art and technology.
His sculptures are not reproductions but interpretations: the volumes are fragmented, the curves opened up, the shadows intertwined. The interplay between solid and void creates a visual rhythm that evokes the breath of the engine, the flow of air, and the vibration of a chassis at full speed.
This dialogue between movement and stillness has captivated numerous galleries — such as Class Art Biarritz — as well as entire cities, which are now transforming their public spaces into open-air galleries to host his monumental works.
Le Touquet-Paris-Plage: An Open-Air Art Gallery
Since 2023, the seaside resort of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, in northern France, has become a true open-air museum for Antoine Dufilho. Two monumental sculptures now stand there permanently, celebrating both elegance and speed.
“La Dolce Vita”, a seven-metre-long Riva boat, is displayed on the seafront. Composed of hundreds of polished aluminium slats, this masterpiece weighs over 5.5 tonnes. It evokes the Italian art of living and the refined glamour of the 1960s Riviera.
“Red Racing Flower”, installed in front of the Hôtel Westminster, reinterprets the legendary Ferrari 330 P4. Its lacquered red lamellae create a striking kinetic effect: as one walks around it, the car seems to dissolve and reassemble in motion.
These two sculptures reflect Le Touquet’s ambition to become a major artistic destination. “We want art to converse with the sea, the light, and our heritage,” explains Mayor Daniel Fasquelle.
Sainte-Maxime: When the Automobile Meets the Mediterranean
In the south of France, Sainte-Maxime also hosted several monumental works by Antoine Dufilho in 2024 and 2025. On the harbour, at the Nartelle roundabout, and in front of the Barrière Casino, visitors could admire a spectacular ensemble:
Bugatti 35 – Place Victor-Hugo, a tribute to the most famous racing car of the 1930s;
Ferrari 330 P4 – Nartelle roundabout;
Bugatti Veyron – in front of the casino;
Riva Aquarama – on the marina esplanade.
Here, the metallic reflections of the sculptures echo those of the sea and the yachts. The contrast between the industrial precision of the metal and the softness of the Mediterranean landscape offers a hypnotic spectacle that attracts both art lovers and car enthusiasts.
Courchevel: Art at the Summit
In winter, Antoine Dufilho’s automotive sculptures take to the heights. Following in the footsteps of Dalí, Richard Orlinski, Bruno Catalano, Lorenzo Quinn, and others, Dufilho took part in the “Art at the Summit” event organised by Galeries Bartoux. Five of his monumental works were installed across the alpine villages of Courchevel 1850, Moriond, Le Praz, and La Tania.
Beneath the snow and alpine light, the metallic surfaces take on a bluish hue. A stylised Formula 1, a deconstructed Rafale jet, and several Streamlined Ferraris form an artistic trail where speed confronts the majestic stillness of the mountains.
“In Courchevel, my sculptures breathe differently,” the artist reflects. “They settle, frozen in the ice, yet they continue to vibrate.”
International Expansion: From Mallorca to Saint-Tropez
Antoine Dufilho’s fame now extends far beyond France. In 2025, several international exhibitions and installations featured the pop art artist:
Motorworld Mallorca (Spain) – installation of a monumental polished aluminium sculpture;
Vila Real (Portugal) – exhibition as part of the Supercar Gathering, an international event dedicated to classic and luxury cars;
Saint-Tropez (France) – summer installation at Nikki Beach, where a monumental sculpture interacts with the palm trees and the sea.
Additional projects are currently under negotiation in Dubai, London, and Miami, highlighting the growing international influence of the artist.
A Work Between Art, Engineering, and Emotion
What sets Dufilho apart is technical precision in the service of visual poetry. Each work is conceived like an engineering object, with careful calculations, models, 3D plans, and extensive machining of metal slats. Yet behind this formal rigor, emotion remains central.
The cast shadows, the light filtering through the slats, the variations depending on the time of day — all contribute to creating a sensory and meditative experience. His sculptures are best appreciated in motion, while walking around them, much like watching a racing car flash by at full speed.
Antoine Dufilho: An Architect of Void
Antoine Dufilho belongs to a generation of artists who push the boundaries between disciplines. His works reconcile mechanics and poetry, matter and light, emptiness and fullness. They celebrate speed, not merely as a technical feat, but as a metaphor for suspended time.
Whether placed by the sea, atop snow-capped peaks, or in the heart of cities, Dufilho’s monumental sculptures remind us that art is not only contemplation, but also movement, vibration, and breath.
Among the artist’s most notable creations are:
Mercedes W196, Porsche 997 Targa, Alpine, Bugatti Atlantic, Mercedes W196 FA, Ford GT40, Ferrari LaFerrari, Jaguar Type E, Ferrari F40, Ferrari Roma, Audi R8, Ferrari 250 GTO, Lamborghini Murciélago, Ford Mustang, Ferrari Dino, Ferrari Enzo (incorporating carbon), McLaren Speedtail, Aston Martin DB5, Bugatti Veyron, Formula One, Ferrari Daytona, Mercedes 300SL, Porsche 992 Carrera, Morgan Plus Four, as well as the Dassault Rafale, Concorde, and even the iconic RIVA boat.
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