She admits that she is not “a real Playmobil enthusiast”. “I loved it, of course, when I was a child, but I didn’t play at inventing stories, I was more in contemplation,” says Mannaïg Valton. Years later, the contemplative little girl turned into an artist, composing surprising paintings from timeless figurines. On her website Mademoiselle Louise and the Terrible Childrenwe thus discover the reproduction in Playmobil of many personalities such as Karl Lagerfeld, Yannick Noah, the Daft Punk, the Rolling Stones, Freddie Mercury or Amy Winehouse.
His paintings also pay homage to cult films such as Tanned people go skiing, Out of Africa, AND the extra-terrestrial, The Addams Family or to historical works like The Lord’s Supper by Leonardo da Vinci or Cyrano de Bergerac. “I try to give a soul to these Playmobil by putting sensitivity, emotion, poetry but also a little touch of humor”, says the Breton designer, based in Larmor-Plage near Lorient ( Morbihan).
Thousands of spare parts in his workshop
Previously working in communication and then in commerce, she discovered this art of customizing Playmobil in 2011, on the occasion of the wedding of her goddaughter in Spain. “The guests had given the newlyweds a painting with Playmobil figures that represented them as a gift and I thought it was great,” she says. Back in France, she launched herself by first offering “fairly simple creations” to her relatives. “The reactions were enthusiastic and that motivated me to continue”, adds the artist, who really started his activity in 2016.
Since then, she has designed nearly 900 paintings, all unique and tailor-made. To compose them, Mannaïg Valton first begins by documenting himself, so as not to omit the slightest detail. She will then draw from the thousands of spare parts she has in stock in her workshop to bring her characters to life. A meticulous job to say the least. “I only work with Playmobil,” she explains. So I have to look for missing bits, cut out pieces, assemble them, then glue and varnish them. »
Increasingly demanding demands
Giving free rein to his inspiration, the artist also responds more and more to orders from individuals. Requests that force him to surpass himself each time. “A young woman contacted me because she wanted the figurine of painter Pierre Soulages,” she says. I also have an order in progress for a painting representing eight inspiring women like Simone Veil, Mother Teresa or Jacqueline Auriol. »
Sold between 160 and 1,000 euros, his paintings are enjoying growing success. on social networks, where the artist is followed by several thousand subscribers. Exhibited for the end of year celebrations in 2020 in the very chic Bon Marché in Paris, Mannaïg Valton is also starting to receive orders from abroad. “From the United States, from New Zealand and I also have leads in Brazil, Singapore or Japan,” she says proudly. Proof that Playmobil, fifty years after their birth, are still popular everywhere on the planet.