Pierre Soulages / John Chamberlain

Vernissage
am Samstag, den 14. September 2024 von 18 bis 20 Uhr

Zur Aur Ausstellung erscheint eine Publikation, die ab Oktober 2024 erhältlich ist.

Englische Version

Galerie Karsten Greve is pleased to present in its Paris space an exceptional exhibition dedicated to Pierre Soulages and John Chamberlain. On this occasion, a corpus of paintings by Pierre Soulages and sculptures by John Chamberlain will be unveiled, all from the personal collection of Karsten Greve, who, for over 50 years, has played a key role in promoting major contemporary artists, offering an international platform for their work. This exhibition embodies his vision by creating a unique dialogue between two emblematic figures of the post-war avant-garde, with whom the gallery has collaborated over several decades.

Chamberlain and Soulages plunge the viewer into a rich visual and sensory experience, using seemingly opposite processes: colored metal assemblage for one, broad expanses of black paint for the other. Yet each in his own way is a relentless explorer of texture and light. A cross-view between two masters of matter, this exceptional exhibition reveals the obstinate, solitary quest of two resolutely unclassifiable artists.

Undisputed master of the black monochrome, which he explored relentlessly throughout his life, Pierre Soulages (1919-2022) is considered one of the most important and internationally recognized French artists. His career was crowned in 2014 by the opening of a museum in his hometown of Rodez, and in 2019, a retrospective of his works was held at the Louvre, a rare privilege only enjoyed during their lifetime by Braque, Chagall and Picasso.

After thirty years of predominantly black abstract painting, Soulages turned to a new style in 1979, which he called Outrenoir. Literally "beyond black", this process is the result of lengthy research into the texture and morphology of black paint. Embracing the viscosity of the material with broad brushstrokes and other tools he makes himself, Soulages structures the surface of monumental canvases, transforming them into pictorial reliefs that capture and reflect light in different ways, giving the surface a sculptural quality.

The exhibition features paintings by Pierre Soulages between 1963 and 2015, a rare opportunity to apprehend the fruit of many years of pictorial research. Visitors will be able to admire a very large painting from 1963 (gouache on paper mounted on canvas), signed and dated front and verso. Originally shown at Documenta III in 1964, it was the largest painting to be exhibited there. Monumental Outrenoirs produced during the artist's last two decades offer a glimpse into this highly prolific period for Pierre Soulages, during which he turned to acrylics and furthered his journey into the heart of the "noir-lumière".

An exceptional colorist and metal virtuoso, John Chamberlain (1927-2011) makes steel his arena. His sculptures are characterized by acid colors and organic forms, evoking both the raw strength of steel and the softness of Renaissance draperies. The agility of metal makes his sculptures almost alive, in a sizzling dance of colorful, undulating curves. Taught at Black Mountain College, he enjoyed a solid reputation in the United States, gaining international recognition after representing his country at the 1964 Venice Biennale.

Constantly reshaping, crushing, assembling and welding steel strips from abandoned cars that he selects and amasses in his studio, Chamberlain works intuitively to find the right fit. This word is often used by him to describe his process: "The pieces may all look the same, but no two are alike. You have to put them together. So you have a fit, a shape and a color". He describes himself as a "collagist", assembling the most disparate pieces into a new structure, while preserving the original properties of the support, including its color.

Keenly interested in the different forms a material can take, Chamberlain studied the properties of metal to refine his practice, combining a scientific approach with his artistic work. Beyond car parts, he also experimented with paper, plastic and polyurethane foam.

Soulages, like Chamberlain, embodies the archetype of the artist-researcher: experimental, relentless, guided by an unquenchable thirst for black... "It is what I do that teaches me what I'm looking for", declared Soulages, placing the act of doing and discovery at the heart of his practice, free from the artistic movements of his time. In his quest for light, Soulages went his own way.

Since the 60s, Pierre Soulages and John Chamberlain have enjoyed a solid reputation and success in their home country and abroad. Their works are exhibited in major museums in America and Europe, and are included in the collections of prestigious institutions such as MoMA, the Guggenheim and the Centre Pompidou.

Since their first collaboration in 1973 for Chamberlain and in 2002 for Soulages, Karsten Greve has been an unfailing supporter and passionate promoter of both artists' work. This exhibition is also an opportunity to celebrate their strong and profound relationship: through archive photographs, visitors will discover intimate and striking moments from this exceptional collaboration. Shots taken at openings, studio visits and more personal times illustrate the depth of their relationship, bearing witness to the very special bond that united the gallerist and his artists.

“I opened the gallery with an interest in great solitary artists," confides Karsten Greve. The Outrenoir exhibition in 2002 was a sign to me that Soulages was a perfect solitary. Chamberlain was also a solitary. Solitaries always suit me, they're artists who aren't members of a moment or a society...it´s something else".