Marc Couturier's 'Aleph' at Musée du Quai Branly
At the Atelier Martine Aublet within the Musée du Quai Branly, the exhibition 'l’Aleph' by Marc Couturier, inspired by Jorge Luis Borges, is currently on display. Curated by Yves Le Fur, the exhibition delves into the sacred, showcasing Couturier's contributions to Notre-Dame de Paris and stained glass in Oisilly, Burgundy. The collection contrasts Couturier's works with rhombuses from the museum, challenging the distinctions between fine art and ethnography. Thematic vitrines focus on tantrism, shadows, and solarization, with the prominent series 'Redressements' reinterpreting found objects. Couturier describes sandpaper as 'papier de rêve.' A series of drawings, initiated five or six years ago, serves as a 'journal du regard.' The exhibition honors Martine Aublet, who passed away in 2011. Couturier and Le Fur previously worked together in 2000.
Key facts
- Exhibition titled 'l’Aleph' by Marc Couturier at Musée du Quai Branly
- Inspired by Jorge Luis Borges's short story 'The Aleph'
- Held in the Atelier Martine Aublet, a mezzanine space overlooking the main nave
- Curated by Yves Le Fur, director of heritage and collections
- Explores themes of the sacred; Couturier created the cross for Notre-Dame de Paris's altar and stained glass for Oisilly church
- Juxtaposes Couturier's works with rhombuses from the museum's collections
- Thematic vitrines cover tantrism, shadows, and solarization
- Series 'Redressements' begun in early 1990s uses found objects and fragments
- Includes printing liquid drips from Matisse's lithographer, aucuba leaf, soap bar, date pit, barrel stave
- Couturier calls sandpaper 'papier de rêve'
- Drawings presented as small altarpieces, grouping person, animal, and thing
- Exhibition dedicated to Martine Aublet, patronage director who died in 2011
- Previous collaboration in 2000: 'La Beauté en Avignon' and 'La Mort n’en saura rien' at Musée des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie
Entities
Artists
- Marc Couturier
- Jorge Luis Borges
- Michel Bouquet
- Yves Le Fur
- Martine Aublet
- Henri Matisse
Institutions
- Musée du Quai Branly
- Atelier Martine Aublet
- Notre-Dame de Paris
- Musée des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Avignon
- Oisilly
- Burgundy
Sources
- artpress —