Thelonious Monk — Sand on Beach by Arnaud Quercy
Sand on Beach, 120.0×150.0×10.0cm
Arnaud Quercy, 2022 — Spain
A jazz giant rendered in sand, alive for one tide—then gone forever.
Display Information: Base/pedestal not included. Available on request.
- ✓ Original artwork, handcrafted by Arnaud Quercy
- ✓ Certificate of authenticity included
Arnaud Quercy is a Parisian artist working across painting, music, and sculpture. His practice is grounded in Ideamorphism — the principle that a work of art does not carry meaning, but triggers it. Each piece is engineered to diffract differently through each person who encounters it.
He creates and exhibits at Art Quam Anima, his gallery-atelier at 28 rue du Dragon, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris.
Series: Ephemeral Sand Sculptures
Part of Untamed Creations · 5 works in this series
Ephemeral Sand Sculptures
About This Artwork
This ephemeral sand bas-relief pays tribute to jazz legend Thelonious Monk through sculptural form shaped directly on Salou Beach, Spain. Created during a five-day open-air exhibition in August 2022, the work translates Monk's improvisational spirit into carved sand, capturing the musician's iconic silhouette—his trademark hat and angular features—alongside abstracted piano keys that anchor the composition's lower register. The piece existed briefly before the tide reclaimed it, making impermanence itself part of the work's meaning.
Warm earth tones dominate the surface, with deep grays and blacks creating the figure's shadowed contours while burnt sienna and orange highlights catch the Mediterranean light along raised edges. The monumental scale of 150 × 120 cm allowed Quercy to work with bold, simplified forms visible from a distance while rewarding closer inspection with textured detail. Sand's natural granularity produces soft transitions between light and shadow, giving the relief a quality distinct from permanent sculptural media.
The work belongs to the Untamed Creations collection, which documents Quercy's explorations beyond traditional studio practice. As one of two jazz portraits created during the Salou exhibition—alongside a companion piece honoring Charlie Parker—"Thelonious Monk" demonstrates how bas-relief techniques adapt to unconventional materials. The sculpture's deliberate destruction by tidal action connects it to traditions of ephemeral art where documentation becomes the lasting artifact rather than the object itself.
The digital documentation (AQC0381) preserves the work through archival photography, serving as the primary record of a piece that no longer physically exists. Certificate of authenticity #20221231-0051 accompanies the documentation. The work carries "not for sale" status, reflecting its nature as a documented performance rather than a collectible object.
Details & Provenance
Technical Specifications
- Medium: Sand on Beach
- Dimensions: 120.0×150.0×10.0cm
- Weight:
- Created: 2022, Spain
- Certificate: 20221231-0051
- SKU: Arnaud Quercy Creations / AQC0381 / 2022
Gallery Label
Thelonious Monk Sand on Beach, 120.0×150.0×10.0cm Arnaud Quercy Creations / AQC0381 / 2022
Materials & Technique
This ephemeral sand sculpture is created directly on the beach using natural sand and water. The work exists in harmony with its environment and is designed to be experienced in situ before returning to nature.
Documentation is provided through professional photography. Each sand artwork is documented and includes a certificate of authenticity with unique registration number.
Collection Notice
This work is part of the artist's permanent collection and is not available for acquisition.
