Staging an exhibition on minimalism may seem paradoxical: celebrating the art of reduction with an extensive and multifaceted show. Yet it is precisely this tension that underpins Minimal, the new exhibition project at the Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection, curated by Jessica Morgan. The exhibition offers a cross-disciplinary exploration of artistic practices that, since the 1960s, have redefined the notion of the artwork by focusing on essential forms, perception, and the relationship with space. More than one hundred works, including installations, paintings, sculptures, and light-based pieces, reflect approaches developed in diverse contexts across the United States, Japan, Brazil, and Europe. Among the featured artists are Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, Robert Ryman, Agnes Martin, On Kawara, Lee Ufan, Lygia Pape, and Charlotte Posenenske. Their work, grounded in simple materials and elemental forms, seeks to generate awareness and attention through the minimal gesture. The exhibition opens with a site-specific intervention by Meg Webster, an environmental sculpture made of earth and salt. On Kawara’s Date Paintings are shown alongside participatory works by Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Charlotte Posenenske’s modular steel structures are placed within the museum’s transitional spaces. A monographic room is devoted to Agnes Martin’s essential and contemplative painting. Works by the Japanese Mono-ha group, including Phase of Nothingness by Nobuo Sekine, reflect on matter as an autonomous presence. The final section focuses on light as a perceptual language, with works by Flavin, Corse, and Morellet. Rather than presenting a historical overview, Minimal invites reflection on reduction as a living artistic practice. In a present marked by visual overload, the exhibition encourages a slower gaze and a renewed appreciation for the power of less.
