Philippe Sergeant's Tribute to Daniel Pommereulle in Forthcoming Book

A tribute to the late French artist Daniel Pommereulle by Philippe Sergeant will be published in the book "Pour Daniel Pommereulle," edited by Lucas Hees and released on December 5, 2013, by éditions Impeccables. The text, excerpted here with permission, portrays Pommereulle as a man of excess, intuition, and paradox, who valued force over power and opposed established cultural coteries. Sergeant recalls Pommereulle's aphorisms, such as "I am for the fascism of happiness," and his view of drawing as a "music of intelligence." The essay highlights Pommereulle's political engagement, notably his exhibition of torture instruments from the Algerian War, which was censored. Sergeant describes Pommereulle's sculptures as "anti-confessions" and "anti-memories," citing the monumental "Mur de couteaux" (Wall of Knives), which features 450 blades representing constellations, set in Belgian black marble and Alpine green marble. The tribute emphasizes Pommereulle's anger as the essence of his thought and life, and his ability to accelerate time and particles of time. Sergeant concludes with a reflection on Pommereulle's legacy, noting his fierce freedom and the enduring power of his work.