Monograph on Peter Klasen Published for Retrospective

A comprehensive monograph on Peter Klasen, a pioneer of Figuration Narrative, has been published by Actes Sud to coincide with a major retrospective spanning his fifty-year career, held at the Tri postal de Lille and then at the Musée de Sens. The book, authored by exhibition curator Pascale Le Thorel, traces Klasen's artistic journey through distinct periods and series, following the chronology of his output. It includes critical texts from the era by Gérald Gassiot-Talabot, Pierre Tilman, and Paul Virilio, as well as extensive commentary by the artist himself. The catalogue opens with a 1970 manifesto by Klasen, underscoring his aim to 'return images and objects to the spectator-consumer, letting them react before these painting-objects and project their own fantasies.' Klasen, born in Lübeck, studied in Berlin and lived most of his life in Paris. His work since the 1960s persistently questions 'the hygienic perversion of the contemporary era,' viewing painting as a refusal and denunciation of a world increasingly dominated by objects and images that condition daily life. The monograph is structured to provide deep insight into his use of various mediums.