GOOD AND DISAPPOINTING IN ONE DAY - GOOD
Mother used to come to Dunkerque to meet her husband Roger who was Captain with the Messageries Maritimes. Just one of the ports of call that she described as "the last place on earth". I have never been tempted to go there. I have a passion though to zap my way around Europe, towns, cities I know or have heard of looking for exhibitions of interest and worth the journey. This time around, I had fallen on Dunkerque.
It was and still is an industrial port and one of the rare towns I have visited in a long time which is closed between 12-14h. Museums included! Many of the churches or monuments seem to be very big versus the industrial signs in the town.
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| The Town Hall |
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| A good landmark |
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| A war monument |
There were two museums I wanted to visit. The LAAC and the Beaux Arts. Especially the first one which opened at ten.
The Collection Gilbert Delaine. Why should such a name catch my eye? An Engineer, born in that city, poor, no art education at all and he had an art collection of over 400+ works? Add to that, he constructed the contemporary art museum. A wild dream which began in 1974. Such museums could be counted on one hand in Europe. He presented his project to over a thousand companies, eventually obtaining financial backing from 60 and for the most local and regional entities.
His collection was to be presented from April to September this year. If I had seen this poster in 2013,
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| Love this movement |
I would have been on the train in a twinkling of an eye. He died in 2013. What a colourful tribute to pay such a man.
But LAAC? Why? The word "museum" was thought to be off putting for the local public. "Place" or "Lieu" in French was neutral and didn't categorize the "place" in question. The place comprises a garden, lake, sculptures and in a way gives much more freedom to artists in general. So « Lieu d'art et d'action Contemporaine ».
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| Walking down - not really pretty |
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| First view of the lake |
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| The entry arch |
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| Another view |
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| Sculptures, not stones |
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| One of Arman's sculptures |
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| What I was to see |
Besides me, there were two large school groups. Children of 8 or so I would think. They certainly took up the space in a gallery. There were 8 rooms. Each with a very distinct description on the floor upon entering the space
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| behind them a many more |
1 - The origins of a collection.
Delaine or his passion started in a dentist´s waiting room! He came across an artist's work, Ladislas Kinjo and they later became firm friends.
François Desnoyer's work was the first recorded in the inventory but there were numerous northern French artists who "belonged" to the first years. Eugène Leroy, Édouard Pignon, Atlan whose work I have always liked but the name Grand'Mère Paris made me laugh out loud. Certain works in the first gallery had all the energy and strong brush strokes I enjoy so much in modern painting.
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| THE ORIGINS OF A COLLECTION |
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| Jean-Michel Atlan - Composition - an artist I appreciate |
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| Edouard Pignon - The Blue warrior 1970 - and another |
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| Maryan - Personnage 1956 |
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| Frano Gentilini - Femme au Chat 1976 |
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| Grand'mère Paris !!! - Auarpible, 1906-1982 |
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| Ladislas Kinjo 1921-2012: 1964 |
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| Ladislas Kinjo - a life time friend |
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| Another view |
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| Ladislas Kinjo |
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| Arthur Van Hecke 'L'Arlequin Blanc 1972 |
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| Meeting an artist is always a wonderful moment |
2-Art in the guts
Well he certainly had liberty to choose and select his works. That too I liked as there is no need to worry about historic criteria or theoretical art concepts. Just instinct and gut feeling!
Here we are talking about artists I love and periods too. Pierre Alechinsky without his framed words on his paintings, Karel Appel from the CoBra movement, Serge Poliakoff and Pierre Soulages. Joan Mitchell too who was so much apart of the lyrical Abstraction period in the States. The works are lively, vigorous and I too have that gut feeling about liking them.
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| Serge Poliakoff - Composition 1967 |
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| Gustave Singier (1909-1984) Tauromachie 1948-49 |
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| Pierre Alechinsky (Belgique 1927) De Retour 1975 |
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| Joan Mitchel (US 1925-1992) No title 1979 |
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| Pierre Soulages (1919-) Painting 9-8-66 - 196 |
The next movement without a real name was off putting for me and yet very strong because of the remark.......
It's the Catholic Church which invented painting. Someowhere along the line an artists ho is seriously invloved in figurative art comes together with the face of Christ.I found that an excellent reference and it is Oh so true. What artist has not been influenced by religion of some kind?
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| Paul Van Hoeudonck (Belgique) Golgotha- Christ on Mars 2004 |
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| The Gallery |
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| Andy Warhol - Last Supper 1986 - most unusual |
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3-Artist-Donors
Well when I read that….. Karen Appel donated the complete ensemble of his Appel Circus in 1981. It was created in between 1976 -1978. I have seen bits and pieces of it over the years, but never the whole circus together. You feel warm and good inside after spending time at the circus.
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| Appel Circus 1976-1978 |
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| Karen Appel (1921-2006)- Owl 1975 |
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| Ajouter une légende |
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4-The Engineer's eye
This came about in the 69's and 70's when Dunkerque was in perpetual movement. So much going on in the docks. The New Realists, Arman and César found their place in both the inside and in the gardens. I don't say I like their work but I certainly admire the recuperation.
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| Jean-Luc Poivret (1950-) Grande Visite- Plane Wings 1987 |
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| Marcel Louis Baugnoet (Miège 1896-1995) L'homme du rail 1923 |
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| Arman (US -1928-2005) Including taps |
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| Paolo Boni (Italy 1926) Fétiche 1927 |
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| Paolo Boni (Italy 1926) Fétiche 1927 |
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| Jean Deasne (1921-1999) Composition 1978 |
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| César (1921-1998) Compressed Cars 1983 |
John Christoforou, I knew nothing about but from a little way off when I saw this......what do you think I thought?
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| ???? |
His paintings are disturbing and violently throws scenes out at us which I didn't find easy to take especially because of the titles. But I must find out more about him.
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| Jean Christoforou (UK - 1921-1914:) Nude 1976 |
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| Jean Christoforou (UK - 1921-1914: ) The Lovers 1968 |
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| Jean Christoforou (UK - 1921-1914: ) Hommage à Brueghel 1978 |
The final rooms proved to be a rather mixed lot. There were a couple of Andy Warhol's which caught my attention and a few others but we were moving into weird installations or sculptures like this which always get the better of me.
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| Bernard Pagès (1940-) No Title |
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| Little Red Riding Hood on Strike : Jean-Jeques C; 1981 |
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| Little Red Riding Hood again |
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| André Fougeron (1931-1998) Solitude des Gladiateurs |
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| Andy Warhol - Car Crash 1963 |
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| Hervé Télémaque (1937-) - Truth is Red 1980 |
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| Robert Malval (1937-1986) Magneto 1974 |
Up to the second floor where I opened drawers discovering more recent donations, a few weird clothing designs and some sketches from Appel's circus.
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| Up to the second floor |
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| Hugh Weiss (US 1925-2007) No Title 1974 |
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| Arman - Accumulation of hoes |
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| Robert Matta (1911-2002) Oh! Tomobile - very different for Matta |
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| Corneille (Belgique 1927-2010) Upside down nude 1972 |
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| Edouard Pignon (1905-1993) Mother and child 1953 |
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| Arman - violin pieces 1982 |
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| Jacques Doucet |
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| Jacques Doucet |
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| Alchensky - would never have guessed |
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| Camille Bigo- styliste 2005 |
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| Camille Bigo- styliste 2005 |
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| Ajouter une légende |
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| Ajouter une légende |
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| Ajouter une légende |
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| Maurice Estève (1904-2001) 858 A 1964 - love it |
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| Marc Chagall - Buttercups 1973 |
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| Georges Braque (1882-1963) Résurrection de l'oiseau 1959 | : think it should be horizontal |
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| Camille Bigo- styliste 2005 |
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| Appel - Soleil Soleil Inca 1978 |
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| Appel - The Clown Cat 1978 |
I would have preferred other titles for these or none at all.....
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| Alfred Manessier (1911-993) Easter, Blood and Water : N°X |
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| Alfred Manessier (1911-993) | Easter, Shrouding N°XI |
Back down on the first floor. Lovely space for these.
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| Ajouter une légende |
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| Niki de Saint-Phalle (1930-2002) Temperance 1982 |
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| Niki de Saint-Phalle (1930-2002) Temperance 1982 another angle |
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| Edouard Pignon Blue and Red Nudes 1980 |
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| Appel - ceramic 1986 |
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| François Arnal - La Roe de la chambre verte 1971 |
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| Grançois Arnal - Les Tennis 1971 |
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| Gérard Ernest Schneider (1896-1986) Opus 39 1, 1968 |
The two attendants were obviously waiting for me to leave. It was closing time and it would be for them, home for lunch. I could certainly have spent more time here but who knows what I would discover in the Beaux Arts before returning to Paris this evening.
Commentaires
So many names and artworks that attract, and inspire.
kind regards, Gerard Rutteman, in art Drager Meurtant