ODDITIES


I had an hour to spare before going off to the Louvre  and was close to the Centre Pompidou. So I popped in to see the Marcel Duchamp Prize winners of 2012. This is for contemporary art. Frankly I have never been too inspired by the artists who win the prize. Usually it’s an installation which in my book doesn’t relate to art. This though did a little as it was not far from the Carpets and  tapestries I raved about in the MAM. I don’t want either in my living room, but I liked both presentations……the tapestry must have been quite something to complete as it is knotted by hand and I think the other one was or is to be presented in Amsterdam where it will « take residence ». 




Danirl Dewar et Gregory Gicquel - Marcel Duchamp 2012

The Amstel River (for station in Amsterdam )


The dog the dressing gown the shoes the lobster








I got to the Louvre about an hour later and as usual had time on my hands. My last experience of Robert Wilson was a « never again » affair. However the title of his exhibition in the Louvre, « Living Rooms » has intrigued me since it came on. So why not go up and see it.

This is the transportation to the Louvre of his working space at the Watermill Centre in the United States. He stores a personal art collection there which is shared with other artists and the public
I gather he experiments his ideas for shows or other in this space and even provides residencies for young artists. The works comes from Oceania, ancient Chinese ceramics, contemporary photographs, chairs from all periods and things he has picked up along the way. It’s rather surrealist as there is no information about the objects themselves other than the eye of the artist who chose and assembled them. 






That is a bath on the left



















Robert Wilson designed the exhibition layout himself to  reflect his daily surroundings and the way they constantly inspire him.
The bed is the central piece and as I had just climbed four flights in the Louvre rather than taking the lift, I could have collapsed there in no time. 
However, I made my way down to see the rest of his exhibition called « Lady Gaga ». Photographs which had been inspired by Solario’s work of the head of Jean the Baptiste. Eerie as each photo seemed to move and some really did. I’m pretty sure that the double you see from time to time is a « self portrait ». 












 



Just as the life size photograph inspired by the young lady, Mademoiselle Caroling Rivière (1793-1807) in Ingres painting. You may remember if you have seen this painting that she died a year after it had been finished. Here though,  she looked at you and slowly blinked. There were all quite hypnotic and had drawn a large crowd of young Asians which surprised me a little. 











Tomorrow I’m off to London for the day to see the Paul Klee retrospective and the Modern Tate. Now, that should really be something.

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