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Stars Exhibition at École des Beaux-Arts Tours Explores Parody and the End of Art

exhibition · 2026-04-23

So, there was this exhibition called 'Stars' that happened at the École supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Tours, France, from December 6, 2003, to January 10, 2004. Arnaud Labelle-Rojoux curated it, and it featured works by various artists, including S. Bérard, V. Boudier, M. Cattelan, and many others. The show focused on parody in art, referencing Jean-Yves Jouannais’s thoughts on idiocy and Labelle-Rojoux’s concept of 'Art parodic'. A couple of standout pieces were Cattelan's 'Z who means Zorro' and McCarthy's study for 'The Garden'. There was also a related exhibition called 'Elliot Ness and Other Monsters' with Labelle-Rojoux's pieces, which ran until February 28, 2004.

Key facts

  • Exhibition 'Stars' at École supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Tours, France.
  • Dates: December 6, 2003 to January 10, 2004.
  • Curated by Arnaud Labelle-Rojoux.
  • Featured 13 artists: S. Bérard, V. Boudier, M. Cattelan, W. Delvoye, G. Gasiorowski, M. Journiac, M. Kelley, M. Kippenberger, J. Lizène, P. McCarthy, Présence Panchounette, F. Picabia, A. Séchas.
  • The show explored parody as a way to both finish and perpetuate art.
  • Referenced Jean-Yves Jouannais's book on idiocy and Labelle-Rojoux's 'Art parodic' (reissued by Zulma).
  • Key works included Cattelan's 'Z who means Zorro', Kelley's stuffed toys, Séchas's felt-tip drawings, McCarthy's study for 'The Garden', Picabia's 'Presumed Portrait of Carmen Sevilla', Journiac's 'Trap for a Transvestite: Arletty', Boudier's video 'Animal adaptable', Delvoye's stained glass, Kippenberger's 'O.T. (Maniac)', and Gasiorowski's 'Des limites de ma pensée'.
  • Labelle-Rojoux described himself as a 'conservative-destroyer' and 'anti-artistic artist'.
  • Companion exhibition 'Elliot Ness and Other Monsters' ran until February 28, 2004 at the same venue.

Entities

Artists

  • Arnaud Labelle-Rojoux
  • S. Bérard
  • Véronique Boudier
  • Maurizio Cattelan
  • Wim Delvoye
  • Gérard Gasiorowski
  • Michel Journiac
  • Mike Kelley
  • Martin Kippenberger
  • Jacques Lizène
  • Paul McCarthy
  • Présence Panchounette
  • Francis Picabia
  • Alain Séchas
  • Jean-Yves Jouannais
  • Clément Rosset
  • Witold Gombrowicz
  • Yan Ciret

Institutions

  • École supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Tours
  • Zulma (publisher)

Locations

  • Tours
  • France

Sources