Dado and Réquichot: A Friendship of Bones and Letters at Les Abattoirs

An exhibition at Les Abattoirs in Toulouse (February 22 to May 26, 2002) brings together the works of Dado and Bernard Réquichot, exploring their artistic dialogue and deep friendship. The show is set in a former slaughterhouse, a site that resonates with the artists' shared fascination with organic matter and death. In 1961, Réquichot and Dado visited a knacker's yard to collect animal bones, which Réquichot used for his Reliquaries. That November, Réquichot wrote seven indecipherable letters for an upcoming exhibition at Galerie Daniel Cordier; in December, two days before the opening, he jumped from his studio window. The exhibition opens with Dado's car carcass adorned with bone marquetry, contrasting with César's compressions. Réquichot's painting 'Épisode de la guerre des nerfs' (1957) gives the show its title, exploding with organic and historical aggression. Dado's recent collages include photographs of NATO bombing victims. The exhibition features Réquichot's indecipherable letters and Dado's 'Lettres à Réquichot', which use nails, staples, and cutters as instruments of torture. Dado's 'La Grande Ferme' (1962-63) is also an homage to Réquichot. The show includes works from the Daniel Cordier collection held at Les Abattoirs. Gilles Deleuze described Dado's art as 'a writing where matter is man'. Dado has also painted the walls of the Saint-Luc chapel near Gisors. Recent works are shown at Les Abattoirs and Galerie Alain Margaron in Paris.