GROWLING AND SMILING ...

I was off to the Comédie Française to see a play  « Un Chapeau de Paille d’Italie » (A straw hat from Italy ). The critics were quite good and l wanted to give this theatre another chance. The last four shows I have seen, l have either walked out at interval or suffered because l had been invited. 

As it was during the mourning period following the Nice terrorist attacks, it was touching that the full cast and direction came out on stage before the curtain went up for a minute of silence. Then the show began. This time at least we would be able to hear the actors further back than the fourth row. They were all wearing microphones. This is the major theatre in for the classics and actor training centre and yet none of the actors can project. The first growl was growing in my throat. 

The second growl came a few minutes later when what should have been funny, was positively vulgar. That too is something l find hard to take in French comedy, instead of playing it straight faced and tongue in cheek, the gestures, head shaking, belly pushing out - doesn’t make me laugh at all. There were a few titters but not much more.

First song. Ah, that was better. The music was good and they could even dance and then…one of the lead actors began to sing. Her voice had been pre-recorded so we put up with an echo as well.




You’ve guessed it. I left at interval with a very bad taste in my mouth. Growling l started walking home in some 29° and then I saw this



Back in 2012, l had been to a retrospective of Bertrand Lavier’s work and really enjoyed it.

Surprises can be Pleasant

Raymond Haines was a major figure of the New Realism movement. I always confuse his work with that of Jacques Villeglé »

Raymond Hains 


Jacques Villeglé

This would stop my growling and the museum may even be air-conditioned. It was very hot.

So, up the stairs I went to « Merci Raymond » (Thank you Raymond » by Bertrand Lavier.



To be quite honest, I didn’t know what I was looking at. So instead of strolling through the museum as l usually do, I sat down in front of this and tried to work out what l was going to see. The little brochure was not too helpful.



This had to be more than an exhibition. I began to see that there were stories and anecdotes that Bertrand Lavier was staging and creating unexpected connections with Raymond Hains. Perhaps he was paying tribute to this artist who died in 2005? I looked at the posters that described each gallery and then understood that this was a dialogue with a play on language. You’ll see what I mean when we go through each gallery. Gains ripped down street posters (why I confuse him with Villeglé) , fences and sheets of metal which  then made up many of his works.

even if dead men tell no tales, their works dialogue, as long as we offer them an interlocutor.

There is this dialogue too with many other artists….

Frank Stella

A XVlll chest of drawers - Camondo refers to the wealthy collector Nissim de Camondo whose Private Hotel was decorated with period furniture before it was turned in the Decorative Art’s Museum…

References to Kandinsky

Boltanski

And more….

One of those exhibitions where you really feel you are talking to the artists. I hope you understand what I mean.

The sun was at its height when I left an hour later but l wasn’t growling any more.