A CITY OF THE FUTURE ?

Probably done in the 1930's

In the 1930's

A good fried where I live had left me a small prospectus on an artist which we know virtually nothing about - a certain Marcel Storr. Anne had seen his exhibition in the 20th - an area off the beaten track for me. Today for other reasons I needed to go over there and thought why not? Anne enjoys Naïve art. I am not going to make a special effort to see such work and the small brochure she left didn’t look like naïve art. More as if the artist in question was obsessional about churches and buildings.

Art historians or other know little about Marcel Starr (1911-1976).  A road sweeper in the Bois de Boulogne or a road mender as a seasonal worker in the parks and gardens in Paris. He was an abandoned child and brought up by the State in farms where he was beaten. Deaf and illiterate he adored to draw.

1960's?

Obviously he was quite obsessional about churches and spires which climbed into the sky.


Also buildings. His work appeared to be influenced by India, even I would think some Islamic countries. I guess he had seen pictures of such cities in books (if he had books) or on the television.
The intricacy of his drawings is quite overwhelming.


 It seems to be closer to Art Brut. Certainly not contemporary or even modern. A style of his own Sometimes even science fiction as these cities that he imagines don’t exist today.

Beginning of the 60's?

(A new Eiffel Tower !!)

It must have been toward the end of his life when he was drawing these monumental cities that he said



«When Paris is destroyed by an atomic bomb, the President of the Unites States will come to see me and we will be able to rebuild following my drawings"

1960's?

Those cities are high rise buildings, smattered with gardens and a little greenery. One can only look up. They are intricately detailed. For me claustrophobic. I admired the detail of his work. I would not like Paris to be changed into what he felt was a city of the future.