Bernard Dufour's 'Holger Meins 75' Unveiled at Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris
Starting October 16, Bernard Dufour's artwork 'Holger Meins 75' will be showcased at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, having been absent from his 2006 exhibition at the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Strasbourg. This display will also feature works by Martine Dufour and the publication 'L'Autre Jour' (éd. Fata Morgana). The painting originates from a 1974 initiative by Alain Jouffroy, who examined post-1968 historical painting, drawing inspiration from François Topino-Lebrun's 'Death of Caius Gracchus' (1797). Dufour, who distanced himself from political themes, created the piece based on a photograph of Holger Meins, exploring themes of terrorism and the dichotomy between desire and destruction. He remarked, 'I wanted to expose how circumstances could reduce sex to excretory functions.'
Key facts
- Bernard Dufour's painting 'Holger Meins 75' was not shown in his 2006 retrospective at the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Strasbourg.
- The painting will be displayed from October 16 at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in a new room dedicated to Dufour.
- The exhibition also includes works by Martine Dufour, a self-portrait from 1966, and books.
- The publication 'L'Autre Jour' (éd. Fata Morgana) is released concurrently.
- The painting originated from Alain Jouffroy's 1974 project on history painting, referencing François Topino-Lebrun's 'Death of Caius Gracchus'.
- Jouffroy organized the exhibition 'Guillotine et peinture' at Centre Pompidou in 1977.
- Dufour's painting was inspired by a photograph of Holger Meins, a Baader-Meinhof member, given by Christian Bourgois.
- The polyptych includes a panel titled 'La Grande Défécation' introducing sexuality.
Entities
Artists
- Bernard Dufour
- Martine Dufour
- Alain Jouffroy
- François Topino-Lebrun
- Jacques-Louis David
- Erró
- Gérard Fromanger
- Jacques Monory
- Antonio Recalcati
- Vladimir Veličković
- Jean-Paul Chambas
- Holger Meins
Institutions
- Musée d'Art Contemporain de Strasbourg
- Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
- Centre Pompidou
- Fata Morgana
- Christian Bourgois
- Gauche prolétarienne
- Fraction Armée Rouge
Locations
- Strasbourg
- France
- Paris
- Le Pradier
Sources
- artpress —