Polyte Solet was born in 1973 in France and is one of the world’s most talented wood sculptors and yacht builders. Instead of practicing the art as a profession, Polyte decided to build a yacht and travel around the world.

In 1986, during a landing in Southern Chile, Polyte fell in love with Chile’s beauty and the abundant wildlife he saw along the coast and he felt inspired to settle down and start carving the fabulous native wood. Using the technique of laminating and gluing the wood used in yacht construction, Polyte reaches a new level of beauty and strength in his sculptures by maximizing the freedom of forms and shape with incomparable durability. The end result is a sculpture that exudes the pure forms of nature while making a statement about his love and respect for nature.

Polyte is fast becoming an internationally known artist for these uniquely whimsical wooden sculptures. Not only does his art possess an aesthetic beauty, it’s also a reminder of the inherent beauty and charm of the wildlife around us. His magni9ficent works are commissioned for art galleries, boutiques, corporations, parks, and individual collectors around the world, including the monument in Paris he built in tribute to the French naturalist Jacques Cousteau.

The Solet Method: Each piece of wood is cut and molded by hand from raw Lingue or Pino wood. These woods are native to the Andes Mountains of southern Chile. Polyte’s method of carefully gluing “slats” or strips of wood together creates a wood block. Once the bond is set, the strength of the wood blocks is actually enhanced and allows greater creative freedom in carving. Polyte, a passionate conservationist, chooses his wood only from trees harvested in methods friendly to the environment.