F1 McLAREN

The model depicted here is the McLaren MP4-13 that won the 56th Monaco Grand Prix. The 1998 season marked a triumphant return to the top for the McLaren team and its drivers Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard, now using engines supplied by Mercedes-Benz. They started the season in red hot form, winning five of the opening six races, eventually going on to claim the constructors’ championship, while Mika Häkkinen took the drivers’ title. This sculpture of the F1 McLaren was officially unveiled at the closing evening of the Monaco Grand Prix in 2000, in the presence of Prince Rainier III and the Princely Family, along with the drivers, and the artist.

Christian Maas is a French sculptor and founder born in 1951 in Saint Etienne. After studying languages and art history, he travelled the world and went on to devote himself exclusively to sculpting, learning the art of bronze working in various foundries in 1988. He practises the lost wax casting technique and creates his patinas himself. It takes him a relatively long period of three to five months to create a sculpture, owing to the complex techniques he uses and his desire to making pieces that are realistic as possible. More recently, Christian Maas began producing works in aluminium. He draws his inspiration from classical mythology (Bacchus series), the animal kingdom (Le Grand Etalon, Le Taureau de Combat) and hyperrealistic modern themes depicting life-size international personalities and celebrities (Jacques Chirac, the Princely Family of Monaco, David Bowie). A
committed artist, he often dedicates his works to social and environmental causes. His exhibition “Toreshima”, presented in 2002 at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, was devoted to the birds and animals affected by oil disasters.