That Heinz Berggruen had a flair for art could have been understood from his first purchase which he made during his honeymoon in Chicago when he bought a watercolor by Paul Klee from a Jewish refugee for just 100 dollars. Berggruen was also in America to escape the Nazi fury. He was just 22 years old and essentially penniless. Over the years, after his return to Europe, his love for art quickly took shape, giving life to an important and eclectic art gallery in Paris and establishing himself over the years as one of the most talented and sophisticated collectors and art dealers in the world. The heart of the exhibition was created to tell his personal story intertwined with that of an extraordinary art collection that brings together masterpieces by most of the most important artists of the twentieth century, with a strong presence of his two favorites Paul Klee and Pablo Picasso - but also sculptures by Giacometti, collages by Matisse, masterpieces by Seurat - of whom he was a tireless supporter from the beginning.
Although Pierrot, dressed in white from head to toe, has a familiar, even iconic, appearance, it is a work of absolute originality. From its history to its composition and iconography, everything in this painting by Watteau fascinates and intrigues. An exhibition tells the myth.
The exhibition traces the bold journey of three artist friends - Lê Phô, Mai-Thu, Vu Cao Dam - who loved their native country as much as France, against the backdrop of political changes and relations between the two countries during the 20th century.
An instrument of sublimation as much as a manifestation of a latent truth, indeterminacy becomes both symptom and remedy for a world in search of meaning. Intrinsically elusive, the aesthetics of blur emerges in empty space. An exhibition.
With his unique pictorial language, Daniel Boyd seeks to “delocalize our visual perception from a single entry to one of multiplicity” by directing our gaze towards narratives obscured by empire and oppressive cultural frameworks.
The City of Lights is a gift waiting to be unwrapped this holiday season. From the charms of Paris to the excellence of Bvlgari, every facet of the experience is a treasure.
