Raphaël Denis's 'Coffre n°7' at Centre Pompidou Reconstructs Looted Art History

Raphaël Denis's installation 'La Loi normale des erreurs : coffre n°7' (2016-19) is presented in the Focus gallery of the Centre Pompidou's new 'Galeries du 20e siècle' permanent collection route. Recently acquired by the museum, the work addresses the spoliation of art during the Nazi occupation by reconstructing the exact dimensions of 162 artworks once stored in a safe at the Banque nationale pour le commerce et l'industrie de Libourne, rented in 1940 by dealer Paul Rosenberg. The installation features 162 packages of various sizes, resembling painting formats, arranged on a long shelf. Denis describes the work as a 'monument to looted paintings,' evoking the 'dirty business' of the art market under the Occupation. The piece is accompanied by archival documents and photographs from institutions including the Musée Picasso, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, and the Mémorial de la Shoah. Denis also co-curated the exhibition with Camille Morando, Stéphanie Rivoire, and Didier Schulmann. The work will be followed by a solo show at Galerie Sator from September 12 to November 2, 2019. Concurrently, the exhibition 'Le Marché de l'art sous l'Occupation, 1940-1944' runs at the Mémorial de la Shoah until November 3, 2019.