Matérialistes
Fanny Boucher is a master heliogravure printmaker specialising in copperplate photogravure, as well as a visual artist. After studying at the École Estienne, she trained in grain photogravure under Jean-Daniel Lemoine before founding Atelier Héliog in 2000. Today, it is one of the very few professional workshops in the world dedicated to this nineteenth-century photomechanical printing process.
From the outset of her career, she has worked to reintroduce heliogravure into the contemporary art landscape, playing a key role in its revival and development among artists, galleries, and cultural institutions. Her workshop has become a nationally and internationally recognised centre of excellence for the medium.
Committed to passing on this exceptional craft, Boucher trained Marie Levoyet through the French Maître d'art – Élève(Master Artisan–Apprentice) programme. Levoyet subsequently established her own workshop, contributing to the re-emergence of professional heliogravure practice in France. Boucher is also regularly invited by the French National Heritage Institute (Institut National du Patrimoine) to teach specialised courses for conservators and restoration professionals.
In 2020, she was awarded the Liliane Bettencourt Prize for the Intelligence of the Hand (Prix Liliane Bettencourt pour l'intelligence de la main). Her current practice lies at the intersection of fine craftsmanship, technical research, and contemporary artistic creation, a direction she further developed during her residency at Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto in 2023.
Alongside her artistic practice, Fanny Boucher is a dedicated advocate for the applied arts and traditional craftsmanship. She is a member of the Grands Ateliers de France association, which she served as president from 2023 to 2026, and continues to promote and defend these exceptional craft traditions through her work with a range of professional organisations.
