Sophie Calle's Early Squatting Inspires Musée d'Orsay Exhibition and New Book

French artist Sophie Calle has an exhibition titled 'The Ghosts of Orsay' at the Musée d'Orsay, featuring photographs and objects she collected decades ago when she secretly occupied the abandoned building before it became a museum. The project originated in 1978 when Calle, recently returned to Paris after extensive travel, discovered an empty hotel connected to the former Orsay train station. She later took up residence in room 501, gathering discarded items. This history remained unknown to the museum until Calle mentioned it at a dinner party to Donatien Grau, head of contemporary programs, who then informed then-director Laurence des Cars. The exhibition coincides with the publication of 'The Elevator Resides in 501' by Actes Sud, which includes Calle's images of derelict spaces alongside fictional ethnographic notes by archaeologist Jean-Paul Demoule and autobiographical text. Calle's practice, beginning in the late 1970s, involves following strangers, assuming roles, and blending photography with narrative. Key early works include 'The Hotel' (1984), where she worked as a chambermaid to photograph guests' belongings, and 'Address Book' (1983), where she contacted people listed in a found address book. Her approach combines quasi-documentary photography with writing, influencing contemporary autofiction and expanding narrative forms. Recent years have seen renewed interest in her early output, with Siglio Press reissuing works like 'The Hotel' (2021) and 'Venetian Suite' (2015). Critics note her integration of text and image, with some describing her as a 'narrative artist' who explores relationships between self and other. Despite historical criticism of her photographic technique, her images contribute to an intimate, dreamlike aesthetic. The exhibition reflects a broader reassessment of her contributions to visual and literary arts.