French art, from old to new

Impressionists’ collection from Musée d’Orsay, Marcel Duchamp Prize-winners present wide spectrum of art


Art aficionados here will be offered a comprehensive view of French art this summer, from 19th century realism to 21st century conceptual art.

As Musée d’Orsay’s impressionists’ exhibition rooms went under renovation, GNC media, a South Korean exhibition organizer, grabbed the chance to get 134 paintings, drawings and photographs from the French museum’s collection on loan.

Featuring the works, the exhibition “Dream and Reality: Masterpieces from Musée d’Orsay” kicked off at Seoul Art Center’s Hangaram Art Museum in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, on Saturday recording over 10,000 visitors over the weekend.

Including Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpiece “La nuit étoile, Arles,” the show introduces works by great 19th century French artists such as Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne and Paul Gauguin.

“It is big news, even for the president of the museum, to see so many artworks from Musée d’Orsay’s collection exhibited outside of the museum. About half of the museum is currently under renovation. When the construction is over by the end of this year, we will hold an exhibition of our collections at our museum including the ones that are shown here in Korea,” Guy Cogeval, president of Musée d’Orsay, told the press last Friday.

Established in 1986, Musée d’Orsay is one of the world’s greatest art museums with over 6 million visits per year. It has the biggest collection of 19th century paintings, especially impressionist art. This is the third and biggest show exhibiting the museum’s collections in Seoul.

The exhibits explore the gap between dream and reality. Auguste Renoir’s “Le garçons au chat,” Paul Cezanne’s “Les joueurs de cartes” and Edgar Degas’ “Danseuse montant un escalier” are notable exhibits.

In July, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province will show a variety of French contemporary art through the exhibition “Marcel Duchamp Prize.” MOCA co-organized the show with the Association for the International Diffusion of French Art to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the prize.

The Marcel Duchamp Prize was launched in 2000 by contemporary art collectors who belong to ADIAF with the aim of promoting the French art scene in the international market. Although France led world’s art scene in the 19th century, many say that French contemporary art has been overshadowed by the U.S. and Britain.

Admitting this, Jean-Marc Prevost, inspector of the artistic creation at the French Culture Ministry’s Delegation for contemporary art, adviser for ADIAF and one of the exhibition’s curators, told the press last Thursday that the reasons are very complicated.

“French artists do not make artworks that can be easily bought, like paintings. There are also financial reasons, like the financial power of U.S. galleries. But just because they are not sold as much does not mean that they are not known as much internationally. This will be an opportunity for the Korean public to see French contemporary art,” said Prevost.

MOCA’s show will feature 15 French artists who either won the award or were nominated, including winners Cyprien Gaillard, Mathieu Mercier, Laurent Grasso and Saadane Afif. They will be showing installations, video works, sculptures, photos and paintings.

The artists show very different styles of art, as much as they vary in age. Unlike how artists in the 1960s and 1970s could be classified as being part of certain “movements,” it is hard to find a similar tendency among French contemporary artists, said Prevost.

“We often refer to French contemporary artists as the children of Duchamp. It is true that they concentrate a lot on ‘conceptualism’ but at the same time they make artworks that awake our unrealized senses,” said Prevost. 

The exhibits will include calm but thought-provoking artworks that make viewers do a double take. Michel Blazy, for example, is sending the “recipe” for his work “Flowers” which anyone can make with kitchen towels. Philippe Ramette’s photo “The Shadow,” featuring a shadow and a pair of shoes and a suit in the place of a man, is surreal.

“Dream and Reality: Masterpieces from Muse d’Orsay” runs through Sept. 25 at Seoul Arts Center’s Hangaram Art Museum in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. Tickets range from 5,000 won to 12,000 won. For more information, call (02) 325-1077~8 or visit www.orsay2011.co.kr.

“Marcel Duchamp Prize” will run from July 25 to Oct. 16 at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. For more information, call (02) 2188-6114 or visit www.moca.go.kr.

By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldcorp.com)