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Nicolas Bourriaud: The Grand Interviews of artpress

publication · 2026-04-23

artpress publishes a collection of interviews with Nicolas Bourriaud, the French critic who coined 'relational aesthetics'. Born in 1965, he co-founded the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, served as a curator at Tate Britain where he directed the 2009 Tate Triennale, and organized biennials in Moscow, Lyon, and Taipei. The book features conversations with Christophe Kihm, Michaël Lachance, Catherine Millet, Anaël Pigeat, and Damien Sausset, with a preface by Millet. Bourriaud's concept of relational aesthetics, which describes art practices aiming to rebuild social bonds, has been adopted worldwide and united artists like Pierre Huyghe, Philippe Parreno, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Thomas Hirschhorn. His book 'Radicant' analyzes the consequences of globalization.

Key facts

  • Nicolas Bourriaud was born in 1965.
  • He coined the term 'relational aesthetics'.
  • He co-founded the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
  • He was a curator at Tate Britain and directed the 2009 Tate Triennale.
  • He organized biennials in Moscow, Lyon, and Taipei.
  • The book includes interviews with five contributors and a preface by Catherine Millet.
  • Artists associated with relational aesthetics include Pierre Huyghe, Philippe Parreno, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Thomas Hirschhorn.
  • His book 'Radicant' analyzes globalization.

Entities

Artists

  • Nicolas Bourriaud
  • Pierre Huyghe
  • Philippe Parreno
  • Rirkrit Tiravanija
  • Thomas Hirschhorn
  • Christophe Kihm
  • Michaël Lachance
  • Catherine Millet
  • Anaël Pigeat
  • Damien Sausset

Institutions

  • artpress
  • Palais de Tokyo
  • Tate Britain

Locations

  • Paris
  • London
  • Moscow
  • Lyon
  • Taipei

Sources