Ernest Pignon-Ernest retrospective at Fonds Hélène & Édouard Leclerc in Landerneau

The Fonds Hélène & Édouard Leclerc pour la culture in Landerneau is hosting a retrospective of Ernest Pignon-Ernest, curated by Jean de Loisy, until January 15, 2023. Known for ephemeral street collages since 1966, Pignon-Ernest rarely exhibits in museums. The exhibition includes drawings, photographs, reconstructed sets, videos, and backlit screens, aiming to convey the vitality of his public art within a white cube. De Loisy, former director of Palais de Tokyo and Beaux-Arts de Paris, structured the show around themes rather than chronology, starting with 'Ecce Homo VII' (2012) and 'Linceul VIII' (2012) to highlight the humanist and conceptual dimensions. Pignon-Ernest, now 80, notes that the Centre Pompidou holds only three of his drawings from the 1970s and has never given him a solo show, despite retrospectives at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich and an invitation to the Venice Biennale for his 'Arbrorigènes' series. The artist's practice involves placing fragile, Caravaggesque drawings in urban settings to activate symbolic and mnemonic charges. De Loisy emphasizes that the work is about places and conversations, citing examples in Naples and Algiers. The exhibition reveals the collaborative and processual nature of Pignon-Ernest's art, including the image wall from his studio.