Marc Desgrandchamps: Two Major Shows in Paris and Montpellier

The Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris presents a major survey of Marc Desgrandchamps from May 13 to September 4, curated by Julia Garimorth, covering over twenty years of work. Simultaneously, the deconsecrated church of Carré Sainte-Anne in Montpellier (April 15 – June 19) pairs his paintings with Stanley Kramer's apocalyptic film 'On the Beach' (1959). In an interview, Desgrandchamps discusses his use of photography, the interplay of light and shadow, and recurring motifs like the Gradiva figure. He describes his process of taking photographs—often using film—and scanning them to isolate details for paintings, as in a large diptych based on photos from a trip to Catalonia. He acknowledges the ambivalence in his work between hedonistic summer scenes and underlying anxiety, citing the influence of films like 'Suddenly, Last Summer' and 'Pandora'. He reflects on the existential dimension of 'On the Beach', seeing a metaphor for 'hedonistic precariousness' in contemporary life. Desgrandchamps, born in 1960 in Sallanches, lives and works in Lyon.