Jan Fabre's 'Journal de nuit' mirrors Delacroix's diary

Jan Fabre's 'Journal de nuit', published by L'Arche, is a nocturnal diary written during his insomnia, echoing the structure of Eugène Delacroix's journal. Like Delacroix, Fabre alternates between lofty reflections on art and mundane daily notes, records museum visits, and encounters with artists such as Joseph Beuys (Antwerp, 1980), Roy Lichtenstein (Saint-Louis, 1981), and Andy Warhol (New York, 1982). The diary reveals Fabre hired a private detective to follow him for an exhibition, reminiscent of Sophie Calle. Fabre questions why his performances resemble painful rituals. The comparison to Delacroix highlights a shared taste for provocation, though Delacroix's blasphemy in preferring Rembrandt to Raphael now seems quaint. Fabre's diary, reviewed by Raphael Cuir, is the first of several planned volumes to capture the life of an 'art researcher'.