OH SO BLEAK TO BEGIN WITH...
It goes without saying that I will see all the exhibitions on at La Maison Rouge before it closes at the end of 2018. This too was to be my first exhibition in the new season. As I have told you our school years starts in September and most of the main exhibitions follow suite as do concerts and theatre. I was looking forward to it. Not for one moment did I think it would be so bleak at first glance.
Marin Karmitz is quite a well known name for us as he began his career in cinema as a director helping to form the chain of MK2 cinemas. They have certainly changed the face of Paris.
His collection from the first glance in the opening gallery was mainly black and white photos. From the first picture you see at once that they depict tragedies of the 20th Century. Places too (from Europe to the United States), through various media - video, photography, painting, drawing, sculpture and several large-scale installations which surprised me as I would never have connected the artists concerned with such work. What strikes you at once is the use of black and white. It’s not before several galleries down the line that there is a little colour to brighten me up!
The exhibition shows practically all his collection and for the first time- and yes, it’s immense. At first I took no pictures and as it happens I took none at all of the black and white photos. These were stories of war, of hunger, of torture and need I go on? Taken by many photographers I have never heard of. What is so striking is that many of the artists and photographers have a small room to themselves off a long passage with sculptures from far gone civilisations…It was toward the end of he exhibition that a installation by Christian Boltanski bowled me over. Remember the archives of heart beats in Japan? His pact with the Tasmanian Entrepreneur David Walsh to film him 24 hours on 24? His Monumenta exhibition at the Grand Palais…when I saw this, I wondered if it was the same man….
As you can see, I can't get anything straight which makes me loose a lot of time when I have to straighten photos. How I do that with a video is another question.
Perhaps this is better? But then the bells are not ringing...
It was then I decided to go back on my tracks and reconsider what I had seen….this is what I found…
Lets start with Annette Messager - She was a very torturous artist, was she not? All those spiders and then, bingo, this…
I tried to touch the scissors but the security official tapped me on the shoulder (why it always happens to me, I don’t know…). The material looked like leather...
She called this work. "The Ghosts of the seamstresses" (2014-2015) Then I saw that there are 54 elements and the material is Skaï and cord.
For a moment I wished that I hadn't seen that title. This work has a happy air for me and not of ghosts.
Tadeusz Kantor has always been another torturous artist too. He was Polish (1915-1990). Perhaps you could describe him as a surealist although he was also a writer, worked a lot in the theatre and taught as well. His work is something I don't really enjoy and yet these paintings amused me....
Chris Marker (1921-2012) is someone I don't seem to remember or even if I ever knew his work. He too was a film maker (but the films listed on Wikipedia meant nothing to me, even if he apparently worked with a lot of other people I do know of.)
I liked this - it was different...
George Baselitz I can take in reasonable doses although I know that there is a retrospective in London which I won't be going to when I am there next month. I saw one last year...he's still alive in Germany (1938-) . This is called Wanda and done in 1992
It is not easy to see where the face is, if there is a body or if it's only a lot of squiggles as quite a few of my friends would say. I like the movement and can see more in in that just squiggles...
Jean Dubuffet had a room to himself. Maybe 6 paintings and a sculpture. The fact that the painting on the left was virtually only black and white - once again it was a move away from his ochre colours.
The Wooden stone is unusal for Dubuffet. It's an assemblage of botanical elements. On the back he wrote "Signed on the back but the meaning is of no importance"
Once again I found this a rather unusual work for Dubuffet.
Louis Soutter (Swiss: 1871-1942-)
is also someone you have heard about. You may remember the large black figures of his. This painting is anything but happy even if it does move away from the work I know.
Gerard Fromanger is French and once again, I have seen quite a lot of his work. Always very colourful and then this appears....what really draw my attention where the figures engrained into the movement which I hadn't seen at first.
I'm pretty sure that you haven't guessed who the tree is painted by?
Otto Dix. (1891-1969)
When the Nazis came into power in German, he was one of the first painters to be considered "degenerated". He lost his job as Professor in 1933 and menaced with imprisonment. So he left Germany and went into exile close to the Constance Lake and started painting landscapes. Here perhaps you cannot see very well, but the tree seems to be made up on knots and perhaps are symbolioc of his fealings of the moment?
Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966)
If you make the picture larger, you will see that there is a nude in the shadows...again although very much the Giacometti touch, it was unusual to see in this collection of works.
Well, it could be a guessing game again. Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957)
Man Ray (1890-1976). Another surprise for me.
Just as this was too....
Both artists I know. Maryan a little better for his large drawing of silhouettes in black. He was Polish and spent his adolescence in a Nazi Concentration camp. He was the only member of his family to have escaped. He miraculously escaped from the camp when the Russians arrived. They wanted to murder all the remaining prisoners...he got away but one leg was cut off. Perhaps then his style of painting right throughout his life was not surprising.
Who would that be on the left? The Artist? Are you thinking like I did, Andy Warhol. No, Martial Raysse (1936). He calls it Portrait with variable geometry, second possibility.
I'm glad we can finish on a slightly lighter note.
Panamarenko was born in Belgium in 1940 and his life too has been pretty rebellous. But in May 1968 he adopted a military style or with white costumes and declared that his was a millionaire. He started to construct fantastic machines that flew or submarines and more..all absurd and non fontionnel...This one is called Bepto Bismo 11. Perhaps it's meant to fly? But it doesn't.
On the left is Mezcala Figure dating back to 300 before JC. These archeological discoveries are relatively late as the digging only started in 1980. Perhaps she is looking a little sad but there is something so smooth about her. Harmony is my description ...
Of course you have noticed as I did very fast - Black seems to be the leading colour. I came out of that exhibition, rather weak at the knees, but I had seen so many other facets of the artists I know.
Marin Karmitz is quite a well known name for us as he began his career in cinema as a director helping to form the chain of MK2 cinemas. They have certainly changed the face of Paris.
His collection from the first glance in the opening gallery was mainly black and white photos. From the first picture you see at once that they depict tragedies of the 20th Century. Places too (from Europe to the United States), through various media - video, photography, painting, drawing, sculpture and several large-scale installations which surprised me as I would never have connected the artists concerned with such work. What strikes you at once is the use of black and white. It’s not before several galleries down the line that there is a little colour to brighten me up!
 |
| Opening gallery. |
The exhibition shows practically all his collection and for the first time- and yes, it’s immense. At first I took no pictures and as it happens I took none at all of the black and white photos. These were stories of war, of hunger, of torture and need I go on? Taken by many photographers I have never heard of. What is so striking is that many of the artists and photographers have a small room to themselves off a long passage with sculptures from far gone civilisations…It was toward the end of he exhibition that a installation by Christian Boltanski bowled me over. Remember the archives of heart beats in Japan? His pact with the Tasmanian Entrepreneur David Walsh to film him 24 hours on 24? His Monumenta exhibition at the Grand Palais…when I saw this, I wondered if it was the same man….
As you can see, I can't get anything straight which makes me loose a lot of time when I have to straighten photos. How I do that with a video is another question.
Perhaps this is better? But then the bells are not ringing...
It was then I decided to go back on my tracks and reconsider what I had seen….this is what I found…
Lets start with Annette Messager - She was a very torturous artist, was she not? All those spiders and then, bingo, this…
 |
 |
 |
I tried to touch the scissors but the security official tapped me on the shoulder (why it always happens to me, I don’t know…). The material looked like leather...
 |
For a moment I wished that I hadn't seen that title. This work has a happy air for me and not of ghosts.
Tadeusz Kantor has always been another torturous artist too. He was Polish (1915-1990). Perhaps you could describe him as a surealist although he was also a writer, worked a lot in the theatre and taught as well. His work is something I don't really enjoy and yet these paintings amused me....
 |
| No Title 1989 |
 |
| These serious Men (1983 |
 |
| No Title - 1987 |
 |
| Clothes Wrapping - 1964 |
 |
| Man with Table -1969 |
Chris Marker (1921-2012) is someone I don't seem to remember or even if I ever knew his work. He too was a film maker (but the films listed on Wikipedia meant nothing to me, even if he apparently worked with a lot of other people I do know of.)
I liked this - it was different...
 | ||||
| Crush Art - 2003-2008 |
 |
| Night Celebration - 1951 |
 |
| Wooden Stone - 1959 |
Jean Dubuffet had a room to himself. Maybe 6 paintings and a sculpture. The fact that the painting on the left was virtually only black and white - once again it was a move away from his ochre colours.
The Wooden stone is unusal for Dubuffet. It's an assemblage of botanical elements. On the back he wrote "Signed on the back but the meaning is of no importance"
 |
| Omen Face - 1958 |
Once again I found this a rather unusual work for Dubuffet.
 | ||||
| Before The Massacre - 1939 |
Louis Soutter (Swiss: 1871-1942-)
is also someone you have heard about. You may remember the large black figures of his. This painting is anything but happy even if it does move away from the work I know.
 |
| Cardiogram-Paint, Ivory Black - 2014 |
 | |||||||||
| Oak (Study of a Tree) |
I'm pretty sure that you haven't guessed who the tree is painted by?
Otto Dix. (1891-1969)
When the Nazis came into power in German, he was one of the first painters to be considered "degenerated". He lost his job as Professor in 1933 and menaced with imprisonment. So he left Germany and went into exile close to the Constance Lake and started painting landscapes. Here perhaps you cannot see very well, but the tree seems to be made up on knots and perhaps are symbolioc of his fealings of the moment?
 |
| Nude - 1964 |
Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966)
 | |||
| Woman's Head (1921-1923) |
Well, it could be a guessing game again. Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957)
 |
| Unknown Lady from the Seine - 1960 |
Man Ray (1890-1976). Another surprise for me.
Just as this was too....
 | |||||||||||
| Andy Warhol (1928-1987) - Eyes Looking Right (1950) but in actual fact, Untitled. |
 |
| Beatriz Gonzalez (1938 -) "Carriers" -2009 |
 | |||||||
| Maryan (1927-77) Untitled |
Both artists I know. Maryan a little better for his large drawing of silhouettes in black. He was Polish and spent his adolescence in a Nazi Concentration camp. He was the only member of his family to have escaped. He miraculously escaped from the camp when the Russians arrived. They wanted to murder all the remaining prisoners...he got away but one leg was cut off. Perhaps then his style of painting right throughout his life was not surprising.
 |
| 1966 |
Who would that be on the left? The Artist? Are you thinking like I did, Andy Warhol. No, Martial Raysse (1936). He calls it Portrait with variable geometry, second possibility.
I'm glad we can finish on a slightly lighter note.
 |
| PANAMARENKO |
 |
| Mezcala Figure |
On the left is Mezcala Figure dating back to 300 before JC. These archeological discoveries are relatively late as the digging only started in 1980. Perhaps she is looking a little sad but there is something so smooth about her. Harmony is my description ...
Of course you have noticed as I did very fast - Black seems to be the leading colour. I came out of that exhibition, rather weak at the knees, but I had seen so many other facets of the artists I know.
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