Melvil Poupaud: Art, Duchamp, and the Rosebud Bar
In the September 2026 issue of Beaux Arts Magazine n°507, French actor Melvil Poupaud reveals his connection to art, despite not owning any original pieces. He showcases a 1966 Milton Glaser Bob Dylan poster at the Rosebud bar, which he co-managed since 2025 alongside Chiara Mastroianni, Philippe Parreno, and Mathieu Demy. Poupaud fondly remembers viewing Raoul Ruiz's 'L'expulsion des Maures' at Jeu de Paume in 1991. He expresses admiration for the dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History, linking them to Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey.' Additionally, he discusses his photography, aspirations to depict Marcel Duchamp, and presents a thought-provoking definition of art, citing Kubrick, Chaplin, and Disney as epitomes of total art, while recommending 'Masked and Anonymous.'
Key facts
- Melvil Poupaud took over the Rosebud bar in Montparnasse in 2025 with friends including Chiara Mastroianni, Philippe Parreno, and Mathieu Demy.
- Poupaud hung a 1966 Milton Glaser-designed Bob Dylan poster in the Rosebud.
- Poupaud was marked by Raoul Ruiz's installation 'L'expulsion des Maures' at the Jeu de Paume in 1991.
- Poupaud admires the dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
- Poupaud has used a Lumix digital camera and a Compact Olympus film camera for photography.
- Poupaud had a film project about Marcel Duchamp's years in Buenos Aires playing chess, imagined by Hugo Santiago.
- Poupaud defines art as 'often shit, generally a business, sometimes a support for 'enculturation,' exceptionally something that allows us to escape the world and ourselves.'
- Poupaud recommends the film 'Masked and Anonymous' by Larry Charles, co-written by Bob Dylan under the pseudonym Rene Fontaine.
- The interview was published in Beaux Arts Magazine n°507, September 2026 issue.
Entities
Artists
- Melvil Poupaud
- Milton Glaser
- Bob Dylan
- Chiara Mastroianni
- Philippe Parreno
- Mathieu Demy
- Raoul Ruiz
- Marcel Duchamp
- Hugo Santiago
- Jorge Luis Borges
- Stanley Kubrick
- Charlie Chaplin
- Larry Charles
- Rene Fontaine
Institutions
- Beaux Arts Magazine
- Rosebud
- Jeu de Paume
- American Museum of Natural History
Locations
- Montparnasse
- Paris
- France
- New York
- United States
- Buenos Aires
- Argentina