Le Louvre à cheval, a book by Jean Rochefort and Edwart Vignot

Hope you can read french because this marvellous book is the perfect Christmas gift !

Edwart Vignot, art historian and writer (and my fiancé !) had a brilliant idea one year ago : he proposed to famous french actor Jean Rochefort to write his first book about horses in art, from the Louvre museum collections. And the book has been released one week ago in any good bookstores in France, including in the Louvre of course where Edwart will sign it this friday december 2nd, from 6pm and I’ll be there !

Jean was very enthousiastic to share his legendary passion about these noble animals, as a horserider and horse-breeder ,through a selection of masterpieces from Antiquity to 19th century, including of course Gericault and Delacroix, but also famous sculptors or anonymous artists with a common subject : horses. The result is pure happiness : unexpected but clever comments, mixed with his personal sens of humor,  cast a new light on well known works…

I’m sure you’ll enjoy the book as much as Jean and Edwart had pleasure and fun to write it together.

 

 

Bêtes Off : contemporary art in Conciergerie until march 2012

Wednesday I was invited at the opening of a great contemporary art exhibition I do recommend you : “Bêtes Off” , in this fabulous men at arms room-dating back to Philippe the Fair- located in Conciergerie on city island, the craddle of Paris where french kings established first their royal residence and center of power before they moved in 14th century to the Louvre.

The City Palace became then a prison called Conciergerie from the name of high ranking character : the concierge who was in charge of order, police and registered prisoners.The Conciergerie prison became saddly famous with the Revolution for having hosted queen Marie-Antoinette during 70 days before she was condemned to the guillotine on Concorde Square in 1793.

Since wednesday a strange forest inhabited with no less strange animals established its winter quarters in this fantastic 14th century  Men at arms room ( a rare and outstanding ex of civil gothic architecture in Paris) for a temporary exhibition devoted to animal place in contemporary art.

Art Orienté Objet , Necking(le langage du cou) ,2007. A knitting trophy as impressive as a real one !

Nicolaï Polissky, the trophy room, 2011 (Royal Monceau collection)

Claire Morgan, Here is the end of all things, 2011

This young irish artist who was remarked very much on Karsten Greve booth during the last Art fair (FIAC) in Paris, constructs in her sculptures/installations a very  striking visual work, operating a fusion between life and death, the fragile beauty  and the horror in nature. Fascinating !

And last but not least my friend Erik Nussbiker (I support him for 15 years now !) with Le temps des mouches (the time of flees), 2011 :

A giant but elegant twisted silk strucure-evoking an hourglass- trembling gently with drafts,like breathing from time to time, filled with flees trying to fly toward the top and falling down inexorably…the passage of time, the allusion of vanity in 17th century dutch painting (the hourglass, the flees…) make that installation the peak of the exhibition, under the magnificent vaulted ceiling.

PARIS-PHOTO 2011 in Grand-Palais until nov 13th

Yesterday I was invited at the opening of this great event in worlwide photography circles : ParisPhoto, that takes place in Grand Palais until sunday nov 13th.

The manifestation celebrates its 15th birthday and gets bigger, that’s why the galleries are now in Grand Palais and not in Louvre Carrousel anymore. Success and recognition on the art market -photography as a prestigious medium-  explain this move and impressive growth. 117 galleries this year (French and international), + 15 publishers + a private collection (Arthur Walther’s), curated by Okwui Enwezor , called “Portraiture and social identity”, with J.D ‘Okhai Ojeikere below (untitled 1970-courtesy Walther collection), and  Bernd and Hilla Becher , Gas Tanks (spheric), 1963-1983,courtesy Walther Colletion).

            

African photographers, from Bamako to Cape town, are the honnor guests this year. You will admire  among other, the famous Malik Sidibé, Seydou Keita, JD Okhaï Ojeikere and David Goldblatt.

I’ve got the feeling that this year Paris Photo is more  focus on pure photography, with many portraits and lansdscape, and a great technical quality, rather than contemporary art using photography.

But you will find of course the hevy weight of contemporary art using this medium (sometimes linked with actions and performances) such as Marina Abramovic,Dieter Appelt (below) with Krone, aktion, 1976 (Françoise Paviot gallery) and Arnulf -Reiner, a tribute to french trans-gender and performer Pierre Molinier (Pierre Molinier Übermalung, 2008, gallery Christophe Gaillard)

         

A very intriguing series by Christian Tagliavini stroke very much the attention on the gallery Esther Woerdehoff booth, influenced by Nothern Renaissance portraits. Beauty, simplicity and strict geometrical construction through outfits and gesture, with a little bit of strangeness in proportions appeal the gaze. Here is a “Ritratto di giovane dona, 2010” :

I can’t resist to show you two jewels of perfection and esthetic : Sugimoto’s seascapes.They are in Armani ‘s exhibition devoted to water (Acqua). He’s an official sponsor on the fair and developped recently a project around the water as a social cause. He was given on loan works by the Tate Modern, Musée de l’Elysées (Switzerland), ICP.

To conclude this post, the  work of a young artist from Anne de Villepoix gallery : Marc Turlan, who had recently his first solo show  this fall in the gallery : image from the series “Exo star”2011 (magazine picture, chain, 31x27cm). A work based on our fascination for glamour, glossy perfect faces and bodies, turned already  into new icons, in a religious sense I could add : just think about the worship of “believers” for fashion models (or just fashionistas). I like this series with chains on picture magazine, evoking these miraculous icons, on which a madona would cry golden beads…