Born in Strasbourg in 1938, artist Raymond E. Waydelich, the creator of the LYDIA JACOB STORY cards, still lives near the heart of that Alsatian metropolis.
After studying in Strasbourg and Paris, young Waydelich made his way through North Africa as a traveling photographer. There he discovered his fascination for archeology, which has since appeared and re-appeared in his work as what he calls “the archeology of the future.”
Even before he and his works began to travel to distant corners of the world, Raymond was well-known in his home country. Raymond has always been found at the pulse of contemporary Alsatian culture, whether as pianist, singer, and creator of Happenings in the ’70s, or as the renowned artist of current times.
His fabulous creations, both painted and sculpted, have found homes in houses throughout the region. You may even discover his artistic presence in a fine Alsatian restaurant, in the form of the fanciful beasts of his creation that decorate the menu or hold the candles.
An insatiable collector of all manner of objects, Raymond disassembles and reassembles, paints, preserves, and documents. His works may be two-dimensional or sculptural. In them, we find the world and its contents gathered together like cards in a deck, then shuffled and re-dealt into fascinating new juxtapositions.
Even Raymond’s most serious works bear witness to his playfulness, wit, and poetry. The LYDIA JACOB STORY cards place into the hands of the viewer a private exhibition to enjoy at home, one that grew out of Raymond’s discovery of a photographic portrait of Lydia Jacob, a seamstress who lived in Strasbourg during the latter part of the 19th century.
In 1978, Raymond’s work was shown an the Biennale in Venice. Exhibitions in Paris, New York, and Tokyo followed. His prize-winning paintings, collages, objects, and installations continue to be viewed in Europe and beyond.
