01 July 2014 -
31 August 2014
In summer 2014, the Hôtel de Gallifet is pleased to exhibit seven major works of Arte Povera and Minimalism selected from the Francis Solet collection, established in the 1980s. This collector from Aix-en-Provence, as passionate as he is reserved, has only very rarely accepted to show his pieces. Some of the works on display, however, such as those by Jannis Kounellis (1936) and Mario Merz (1925-2003), featured in two major exhibitions devoted to private collections: "They collect II,” organised for the opening of the MAC in Marseille in 1994, and "Private Passions,” held the following year at the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris. More recent minimalist sculptures by Carl Andre (1935) and a video by Bruce Nauman (1941) will be unveiled to the public for the first time. With this new project, the Hôtel de Gallifet hopes to highlight the commitment of private collectors to contemporary creation.
Since the 1960s, the internationally renowned artists featured in this exhibition have contributed to a fundamental renewal of the vocabulary of sculpture through experiments in Italian Arte Povera and American Minimalism. Their works, often monumental in scale, are made from unconventional materials, whether natural or industrial, and are sometimes even scented. These installations, mostly displayed on the floor of the exhibition space, induce a physical displacement and a sensory experience for the viewer, as well as establishing a unique dialogue with the architecture of the space in which they are displayed.
Far from the sterile exhibition space of the traditional white cube, the historical decor of Hôtel de Gallifet will provide a distinctive setting for these creations. The exhibition will be accompanied by the publication of a catalogue with a preface by Bernard Blistène, Director of the National Museum of Modern Art - Centre Pompidou, and a text combining testimony and analysis written by Francis Solet.
