Anne Tronche's Revised Chronicle of 1960s Parisian Art Scene

Anne Tronche's new book, 'L'Art des années 1960. Chroniques d'une scène parisienne' (Hazan), revisits her 1973 study 'L'Art actuel en France' (Balland). Unlike the earlier work, which grouped artists into historical categories like Nouveau Réalisme, the new edition organizes entries around experimental fields such as 'Les illusions du mouvement et l'art programmé' and 'Les partis pris de l'objet', highlighting affinities rather than affiliations. Groups like BMPT are dissolved to reflect individual trajectories. Tronche emphasizes the isolation and singularity of artists like Gil J. Wolman, Gianni Bertini, and Jean-Michel Sanejouand, and the notion of avant-garde is largely absent. The book is structured around personal memories of key exhibitions and events, with an iconography of artist portraits and studio views by Hervé Gloaguen. Tronche draws on her experience as critic, curator, and institutional figure, and includes quotes from contemporaries like Gérald Gassiot-Talabot, Jean Clay, Pierre Restany, and François Pluchart, as well as from current authors. The work rebalances Paris-New York relations, highlights Italian art centers, and notes the paradoxical presence of May 1968 and the underrepresentation of women (only Annette Messager, Tania Mouraud, Gina Pane).