March 12, 2026
Richard Orlinski Joins the Musée Grévin
The Sculptor Becomes the Subject in the Paris Institution
On March 12, 2026, Richard Orlinski became the first new personality of the year to join the Musée Grévin in Paris. His wax figure was unveiled in the museum’s Hall of Columns, accompanied by Wild Kong, one of the most recognizable figures from his sculptural vocabulary.
The encounter creates an unusual reversal. Orlinski has built a career transforming familiar animal and human forms into faceted sculpture; at Grévin, the sculptor himself became the subject of an elaborate process of observation, modeling and reproduction.
When the Sculptor Becomes the Sculpture
Creating Orlinski’s wax double required more than six months of work by the Grévin workshops. Sculptor Stéphane Barret led the modeling process, supported by approximately ten artists and artisans specializing in the different stages required to produce the final figure.
The preparation combined traditional observation with contemporary technology. Precise measurements, photographs, video and 3D capture recorded the artist’s proportions and expression, while molds were taken of his hands. Skin tone, hair and eye color were studied individually before the final head was produced in wax.
Once the model had been refined, specialists continued the illusion through hand-applied oil paint and the implantation of natural hair for the head, beard and eyebrows. Orlinski chose a relaxed pose and provided clothing intended to reflect his everyday appearance.
The process creates an interesting parallel with Orlinski’s own practice. Both depend on transforming a recognizable physical form through stages of modeling, material and surface treatment, even though their objectives and visual languages are very different.
Wild Kong in the Hall of Columns
The decision to present Orlinski alongside Wild Kong gives the installation a connection to his artistic identity rather than treating the wax figure simply as a portrait of a public personality.
The gorilla has become one of the recurring forms through which Orlinski explores physical power, gesture and the transformation of instinct into an immediately recognizable contemporary image. At Grévin, it operates almost as a visual signature, allowing visitors to connect the figure of the artist with the sculptural universe associated with his name.
The wax double is installed in the Hall of Columns, one of the museum’s principal historic interiors, among figures representing personalities from contemporary culture and entertainment. Its addition makes Orlinski the first new personality introduced by Grévin in 2026.
For an artist whose career has frequently involved placing monumental sculpture outside conventional gallery settings, the Grévin presentation creates a different kind of public encounter. This time, rather than bringing one of his figures into an unexpected environment, Orlinski himself becomes part of the display.
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