Contemporary Art in Paris Class 1

This evening was the first of ten classes on contemporary art in Paris. As soon as I found out about the course I was very eager to sign up as it sounds truly fascinating. Each wednesday evening our teacher, Timothy Perkins will take us on a guide around the galleries of different Parisienne areas. We will analyze the work, as well as the galleries and institutions housing contemporary art. As well as the position of those institutions in the urban and social fabric of the city we will attempt to understand how they function in a neighbourhood and the impact caused by their presence. Timothy wants us to get a feel for the 'real' pulse of the city and the history of its arrondissements and their social status. I have become more and more aware that great importance is placed upon status and postcode here in Paris. More so than in any other city I have known.

On our first evening we investigated the edges of the Jewish area known as the Marais in the 4th arrondissement. I have probably mentioned the area before as it is a favourite of mine and is situated really close to our school. Timothy moved to Paris 15 years ago and recalls a time when the now extremely trendy and upper class Places des Vosges comprised mainly of boarded up residences. It is now hosts many upmarket galleries, restaurants and boutiques. Like in many cities, the Eastern side was traditionally the less affluent area and poverty and crime were rife. It is interesting in that like London, the Eastern regions have now gained significant popularity especially amongst creative types which has pushed up the prices of property to rival those of the West.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand....art galleries. We visited several. Some of the work I struggled to comprehend like Le Deunffs chewing gum sculpture, and some I adored, namely Richters incredible pattern and vivid colour. What was fascinating was the location of the galleries. They were so secret and hard to find. One had to ring doorbells, descend staircases, burrow through tiny Parisian alleyways to find. Without Timothy as our guide I would have become totally lost. I was surprised therefore to find so many other members of the public within them. They were obviously 'in the know' contemporary art gallery goers!

LAURENT LE DEUNFF- Semiose Gallery


A rather bizare collection of work ranging from sketches of fornicating animals to paper mache shells and chewing gum sculptures. I suppose this is what one would define as 'fine art'. Located on Rue Chapon, a very up and coming street that has recently seen a surge in new galleries popping up. Timothy told us that the economic crisis had actually heralded the opening of many new galleries and few closures- we will discuss this further at a later date.


Galerie Bertrand Grimont


Unfortunately this was one gallery we couldn't gain access to but it appears to have an interesting texture and structure based exhibition which I will visit another time.

ALEKSANDR MIR- Galerie Laurent Goldin





Mir's 'sharpie' pen drawings are of an impressive scale which absorbs the viewer within them. The texture and marks caused by the medium chosen were of particular interest to me. Were the uneven pen marks intentional or not? We discussed presentation a lot here. The drawings in the upstairs gallery had been attached to the wall with rather distracting magnets. We had all agreed that although they detracted slightly form the work perhaps they were chosen so as to not puncture the paper with hole marks caused by pins. However the drawings downstairs were pinned! Hence the method of display seemed badly conceived.

GÉRARD GAROUSTE- Galerie Daniel Templon



Garouste's paintings are fantastical, troubling and verging on insanity. He recounts a sort of narrative of surrealist torture and I'm pretty certain that not one of us expressed the desire to have one in our homes! Despite our disgust, Timothy said we must appreciate the work for it's technical excellence. The artist is technically gifted and his use of texture and in particular the relationship of his chosen colours create unrivaled depth and interest. This I can see. But the answer would still have to be "No I don't want one above my mantle piece!"


GERHARD RICHTER- Galerie Marian Goodman

This word took my breath away.

Strip 2011

Perizade 2010


Richyer's stripes are mesmerizing despite giving you a bit of vertigo! What's most interesting is his working process which leads to these final results. His point of departure is actually a painting which he then uses software to divide into 8190 strips, all of the same height as the original painting. As he divided the original painting the patterns and colours change, transform and simplify. It is a truly innovative approach to the development of his work through technological processes.

He has an incredible book which shows the amazing transformation with each division providing a whole host of motif and colour inspiration. I was so tempted to buy it, but at 450 euros I could hardly justify spending more than a months worth of rent on a pretty book! The other paintings within this small exhibition of his work were panels of undulating forms of colour created by pouring liquid paint freely on glass panels. This provided a strong contrast to the rigid stripes of colour which dominated the exhibition space.

Richter has been producing a vast and complex body of work since the 1960s. He is considered by art critics as one of the most important contemporary artists and I am ashamed to say that I had never heard of his work before. Incredibly, reading an english newspaper at the weekend, I stumbled upon a review of his exhibition Panorama which is currently at Tate Modern. He is described as "The quietly spectacular artist who did astounding things with a paintbrush". I will be heading to the exhibition as soon as I am back in London.