The Art de Fer metal sculpture gallery in Firmi has doubled its collection of handcrafted artworks along the RD840 departmental road in western Aveyron.
Manager Nalisa Jupp, who has run the site since 2025, expanded the exhibit park with new customized creations ranging from decorative garden animals to monumental figures.
The roadside park at Plaine du Claux features a wide array of outdoor metal sculptures visible to passing motorists. The outdoor display includes parrots, stags, horses, cacti, a centaur, an elephant, and fictional characters such as Grendizer and Groot.
Inside the gallery building, visitors can view smaller works of various dimensions, including metallic insects and fish.
Exhibits and customizable designs
Jupp said the management aimed to remain faithful to the spirit of innovation by developing ideas that the gallery had never produced before. She explained that the team created numerous sculptures this year and doubled the total number of items on display.
Animal sculptures remain among the most popular items with buyers. Jupp noted that stags in particular were one of their best sellers, prompting the gallery to expand the range to include large-scale stag statues.
New additions to the gallery include faceless female figures depicted in motion, such as a dancer. Jupp designs her personal patterns inspired by images and ideas discovered on social media.
Every piece sold by Art de Fer can be customized, offering each buyer a unique piece of artwork tailored to their preferences.
New materials and techniques
Technically, Jupp continues to integrate mechanical vehicle and machinery parts into her metal sculptures.
She has also increased the use of metal drums as structural bases. Jupp said that working with metal barrels opened new aesthetic possibilities while significantly reducing the overall weight of large-scale sculptures.
The gallery attracts a diverse clientele ranging from local residents to international art collectors. Local customers primarily purchase small metal objects and pottery items.
Visitors from outside the region, including buyers from Paris and Marseille, as well as international clients from Britain and Germany, regularly purchase larger pieces and monumental sculptures.
Clientele and local partnerships
Yanni Peixoto, Jupp's partner, oversees external business partnerships to expand the gallery's reach across the region.
The gallery has established a joint initiative with La Ferme du Duzou, a farmstay accommodation based in nearby Conques-en-Rouergue. Sculptures from Art de Fer are displayed around the farmstay property, and La Ferme du Duzou organizes weekly tours to the Firmi gallery for holidaymakers every Wednesday.
Peixoto said the business was actively seeking further venues for collaboration and was currently reaching out to local restaurants.
Art de Fer is located at Plaine du Claux on the RD840 in Firmi, Aveyron. Enquiries can be made by telephone at 06 56 75 73 82, via email at [email protected], or through their official Instagram account.
