Jean-Michel Othoniel's 'The Eye of the Night' Celebrates 22 Years of Oscar Niemeyer Museum

exhibition · 2026-04-19

French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel presents 25 works in the exhibition 'The Eye of the Night' at the Museu Oscar Niemeyer in Curitiba, curated by Marc Pottier. The show marks the museum's 22nd anniversary and strengthens cultural ties between Paraná and France. Occupying multiple spaces including the iconic 'Eye' and the water mirror, the installation features giant glass necklaces representing zodiac signs and lotus flowers. Othoniel recounts a personal memory of meeting architect Oscar Niemeyer in Rio de Janeiro, where they gazed at stars together, a poetic moment that inspired his first solo exhibition in Brazil. The artist discusses his conceptual choice of glass as a primary material, describing it as a universal substance that speaks to fragility and strength across civilizations. He has collaborated with glassblowers in India, Italy, Switzerland, Mexico, and Japan, discovering different cultural relationships with the material. Othoniel's international career includes participation in Documenta in Kassel in 1992. The exhibition runs concurrently with numerous other shows across Brazil, including 'Barracas e fachadas do nordeste' at Galeria Galatea Salvador, the 4th edition of the Frestas Triennial in Sorocaba, and 'Claudia Alarcón & Silät: viver tecendo' at MASP in São Paulo.

Key facts

Jean-Michel Othoniel's exhibition 'The Eye of the Night' features 25 works at the Museu Oscar Niemeyer.
The show celebrates the museum's 22nd anniversary and Franco-Brazilian cultural dialogue.
Curator Marc Pottier organized the exhibition, which includes giant glass zodiac necklaces and lotus sculptures.
Othoniel met architect Oscar Niemeyer in Rio de Janeiro, an encounter that inspired his Brazilian debut.
The artist chose glass for its universal presence and ability to convey fragility and hope.
He has worked with glassblowers across India, Italy, Switzerland, Mexico, and Japan.
Othoniel participated in Documenta in Kassel in 1992.
The exhibition is part of a wider Brazilian art season including shows in Salvador, Sorocaba, and São Paulo.

Entities

Artists

Jean-Michel Othoniel
Marc Pottier
Oscar Niemeyer
Montez Magno
Mari Ra
Zé di Cabeça
Fabio Miguez
Adenor Gondim
Tomás Toledo
Alana Silveira
Luciara Ribeiro
Naine Terena
Khadyg Fares
Tadeu Kaingang
Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui
Antônio Bispo dos Santos
Nêgo Bispo
Júlio Bittencourt
Guilherme Wisnik
Daniela Thomas
Hannah Arendt
Marlene Barros
Betânia Pinheiro
Fábio Nunes
Júlia Martins
Claudia Alarcón
Adriano Pedrosa
Laura Cosendey
Deborah Paiva
Tadeu Chiarelli
Iberê Camargo
Jasper Johns
Henri Matisse
Marie Laurencin
Walter Benjamin
Irmãs Gelli
Alice
Gabi
Catalina Bergues
Flávio de Carvalho
Nuno Ramos
Marcos Amaro
Anna Atkins
Elizabeth B. Brownell
Eslanda Cardozo Goode Robeson
Annette Messager
Angèle Etoundi Essamba
Hiromix
Claudia Andujar
Maureen Bisilliat
Gretta Sarfaty
Vilma Slomp
Claudia Jaguaribe
Anna Mariani
Stefania Bril
Miguel Del Castillo
Russet Lederman
Olga Yatskevich
Thalita Hamaoui
Ana Paula Cavalcanti Simioni
Rogério Medeiros
Rafael Hayashi
Lázaro Roberto
Hélio Menezes
Ivald Granato
Maria Alice Milliet
Christian-Jack Heymès
Felipe Rezende
Claudio Cretti
Guilherme Teixeira
Andrea Brazil
Ana Avelar
Darks Miranda
Flávia Metzler
Ivan Cardoso
Yuli Yamagata
José Augusto Ribeiro
Hélio Oiticica
Zé do Caixão
Maria Noujaim
Georg Heinrich von Langsdorff
Ludwig Riedel
Néster Rubtsov
Aimé-Adrien Taunay
Hercule Florence
Wilhelmine von Langsdorff
Antonio Florence
Francis Melvin Lee
Lalo de Almeida
Paula Sampaio
Miguel Chikaoka
João Pompeu
Mônica Guimarães
Moacir dos Anjos
Francisco Brennand
José Cláudio
Aracy Amaral
Cao Guimarães
Marcelo Silveira
Flavia Renault
Paula Borghi
Belony Ferreira
Paula Ramos
Mestre Didi
Ayrson Heráclito
Rodrigo Moura
Abdias Nascimento
Paulo Pedro Leal
Jean Boghici
Carlos Lacerda
Mônica Cardim
Alberto Henschel
Juca Rosa

Institutions

Museu Oscar Niemeyer
Documenta
Galeria Galatea Salvador
Nara Roesler
Sesc Sorocaba
Capela João de Camargo
Clube 28 de Setembro
Monumento Pelourinho
Monumento à Mãe Preta
CAIXA Cultural São Paulo
Phi Projetos
Cinnamon
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Belo Horizonte (CCBB BH)
Ateliê Marlene Barros
Ponto de Cultura Coletivo ZBM
Universidade de Aveiro
MASP
Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand
Janaina Torres Galeria
Casa Seva
FAMA Museu
IMS
Instituto Moreira Salles
10x10 Photobooks
Biblioteca de Fotografia
Getty Research Institute
Museo Reina Sofía
Rijksmuseum
New York Public Library
Paris Photo
Livraria da Travessa
Simões de Assis
El Espacio 23
Coleção Jorge M. Pérez
Galeria Estúdio Reverso
NND|Azeco
NONADA SP
DAN Galeria
SP-Arte
Casa de Cultura do Parque
Instituto de Cultura Contemporânea (ICCo)
Lei Rouanet
Ministério da Cultura
banco BV
Laranjinha
Banco Itaú
Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita e José Mindlin - USP
Instituto Hercule Florence
Documenta Pantanal
BBM-USP
Centro Maria Antônia da USP
Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
Fonte
Carmo Johnson Projects
Itaú Cultural
Ilê Asipá
Pina Luz
Centro de Pesquisa e Formação do Sesc
PGHEA-MAC/USP
Arte! magazine

Locations

Curitiba
Paraná
Brazil
France
Rio de Janeiro
Saint-Étienne
India
Italy
Switzerland
Mexico
Japan
Firozabad
Agra
Taj Mahal
Salvador
Bahia
Recife
Olinda
Zona Leste
São Paulo
Sorocaba
Nova York
Tóquio
Mumbai
Pequim
Jacarta
Belo Horizonte
Minas Gerais
Maranhão
Portugal
Aveiro
Santiago
La Puntana
Argentina
Gran Chaco
Paraguai
Campo Grande
Mato Grosso do Sul
Alameda Lorena
Jardins
Itu
Amsterdã
Netherlands
Madri
Spain
Los Angeles
United States
Miami
Florida
Vila Nova Conceição
Alto de Pinheiros
Boaçava
Vila Madalena
Santo Antônio da Patrulha
Rio Grande do Sul
Bela Vista
Bom Retiro
Porto Feliz
Mato Grosso
Grão-Pará
Amazônia
Pantanal
Algarve
Kassel
Germany

Sources

ARTE!Brasileiros — 2024-12-09