French Vision

Drawings/Boundary/Drawings - Anselm Kiefer at the Louvre

A series of drawings is presented on the occasion of the inauguration of a new permanent installation at the museum (monumental painting) by Anselm Kiefer. 

In the Salle d’Actualité of the Department of Graphic Arts, between the art of yesterday and the art of today, a boundary is drawn. On one side the collections of the Louvre and on the other Anselm Kiefer, engaging in dialogue with these works, filtered through his particular perspective. Thus a passage is formed.
The theme of boundaries has long held interest for Anselm Kiefer, as an artist born in West Germany at the end of the Second World War, who like others of his generation has explored questions of remembrance and identity, given new impetus by reunification. The confrontation with collective memory is central to his work. Kiefer draws inspiration from a variety of sources that have been widely documented and acknowledged by the artist: contemporary history, the traumatic experience of the Holocaust, Germany confronting its past, Jewish culture and traditions (especially cabalistic writings), ancient Egyptian and Sumerian myth, the great epic poems. Literary references also permeate his work: most visibly Paul Celan and Ingeborg Bachmann, but also the Russian poet Velimir Khlebnikov as well as Charles Baudelaire and other great French writers.
To celebrate this inauguration, a month-long program of cultural events has been planned in close collaboration with Kiefer: a symposium, a conference series, a special evening of readings, as well as dance and music performances, will explore the crossing of boundaries. “The Louvre invites Anselm Kiefer” will enable museum visitors to experience world premieres (in music and dance) created especially for the Louvre and in honor of this event. Temporary exhibition Salle d’Actualité, Department of Graphic Arts, room 33

Information selected by FrenchVision.com and provided by Louvre Museum.

Here’s a riddle for you: I am the youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. I married the heir to the French throne in 1770. Some consider me a carefree, well-behaved young girl; others think I am an extravagant pleasure seeker. I am known to have inspired a lot of new ideas, especially in the world of art. Who am I? Marie Antoinette, of course!…

The riddle is easy to solve, for the story of the young Austrian archduchess is an unforgettable one. Admiration, hate, jealousy and high drama all form part of her story, which has retained people’s interest down the ages.
Marie-Antoinette is undoubtedly France’s most notorious queen. She was adulated on her arrival in Versailles, where her beauty, vivacity and intelligence were widely admired. Worried by her popularity, courtiers at Versailles attempted to limit her political influence. But the young queen was destined to make an impact. Marie-Antoinette soon became known as a patron of the arts.
She brought about changes at Versailles in the realms of decorative arts, music and fashion. However, her extravagance came in for sharp criticism. The young queen was dismissed as “the Austrian” and considered a spendthrift, a schemer and a counter-revolutionary.
The Grand Palais provides a fascinating insight into Marie Antoinette’s strong and complex personality through this exhibition of nearly 300 works from all over Europe: a rare opportunity, considering that the last tribute of this scale paid to this famous historical figure dates back to 1955.

GALERIES NATIONALES DU GRAND PALAIS
3, avenue du Général Eisenhower - 75008  PARIS
Metro : Champs Elysées Clemenceau
Bus : 28, 32, 42, 49, 72, 73, 80, 83, 93
www.rmn.fr/galeriesnationalesdugrandpalais
www.grandpalais.fr

Information selected by FrenchVision.com and provided by Paris Tourist Office.