"OUVERTURE" : The re-opening of the Bourse de Commerce with Pinault's contemporary art collection

The title of this exhibition "OUVERTURE", means "Opening" in French. It is apt for my first on-line article, oops sorry, I should say Blog post. 

In this Blog, I would like to bring you a flavour of the cultural scene in Paris. I will also provide a calendar of events, in case you are planning a visit to Paris.

Voilà !  There's my simple manifesto. I wish to emulate the French Eurovision song which didn't quite make it to the top spot, but made a brave effort and whose singer stood out, in her elegance, from the crowd. 

The present exhibition of François Pinault's contemporary art at the newly opened Bourse de Commerce is the main talking point in Paris at the moment, as far as exhibitions go. 

I would recommend anyone to visit it, whether a lover of contemporary art or not, because the setting and the architecture alone are magnificent.

The piece which immediately impresses the visitor is the marble statue of the "Abduction of the Sabine woman"... by Giambologna- standing in the centre of the ground floor.  Except it's not marble! And it's not by Giambologna, the Renaissance sculptor.

The Giambologna is still in Florence.  This one, with its beautifully finished grey marble effect, is made by Urs Fischer out of wax!

 There is a lighted wick on the woman's head, right at the top. As exhibitions come and go, the whole thing will gradually melt into nothing.  Bits of the statue are already littered on the ground.

Rudi

 Nearby, the standing figure of Rudi, artist friend of Urs Fischer, provokes a chuckle.  He too is made of wax and starting to melt. The old saying  "Ars longa; vita brevis" takes on a new layer.

One or two ephemeral chairs are already sinking to the ground.  There are plenty of amusing photo opportunities for visitors.

Three of Rudolf Stingel's (Rudi) own works are to be seen upstairs - his large photo-realistic paintings of, for example, German expressionist artist Kirchner.  Some are splashed with paint from standing in his studio. 

Contemporary art surprises and challenges us.  Look up to the panorama round the ceiling to see the pigeons.... wax?   No, on approaching them later up the stairs, they turn out to be real (stuffed) pigeons, the work of Maurizio Cattelan, entitled "Others".  The Others are watching us, watching them!

 A similar work by the Italian artist containing 11 taxidermied pigeons sold recently in New York for $580,000! Cattelan has, however, provoked objection from animal rights campaigners for his suspended, taxidermied horse (not in this collection).

Humour is just one of the reasons to visit the exhibition.  David Hammons, upstairs, has a work on display entitled "On Loan". It consists of a white canvas with an empty hook!  A large space here is devoted to this Harlem artist, who, like the collector Pinault, is in his eighties. This is the first big show of Hammons' works in Paris.

His spectral art recreates the Klimt "Kiss", but using an African American couple as its subject. 

What is the visitor supposed to think about a canvas partially covered by a holey plastic bag- possibly representing a world map?  David Hammons challenges our imagination!

Frankly beautiful are his transformations of recuperated objects.

For example, his decorative shield  created out of bottle tops.

His basket ball net complete with chandeliers gives us a glamorous take on the game.

The 18th century neo-classical building, which at one time was the Commodities Exchange, provides a great opportunity for François Pinault to display 200 of his modern art works.

Japanese architect Tadao Ando has done a brilliant job in renovating the circular building, originally the idea of architect Nicolas Le Camus de Mézières dating from before the French Revolution. 

The central atrium was once open to the air and light, so that grain and other commodities could be presented there, while the surrounding galleries provided shelter if necessary.  

By the time Thomas Jefferson was ambassador to France, the grain exchange was covered over. He greatly admired the building. Traveller Arthur Young wrote that the rotunda was the most beautiful thing in Paris.

The wooden dome was destroyed by fire in 1802, and architect Bélanger replaced it with a new copper-covered cuppola which Victor Hugo compared to an English jockey's cap!  It was replaced by glass in 1838. The present building takes us back to the 1889 World Fair period when the Eiffel Tower made its appearance.

The surrounding galleries, where once traders negotiated, form a perfect setting for Pinault's art pieces. 

A fascinating double helix stairway, which visitors ascend and descend, was originally conceived to prevent porters carrying sacks of grain from crossing each other on the stairs.

The crowning feature around the base of the cupola is the fresco, painted in the 1880s, which shows  trade and commerce in the different continents of the world. It is now beautifully cleaned and light. A raised circular platform brings observers a lot nearer than before, so details can be observed, such as Columbus' ship arriving in  America. The painting is 140 metres long and 10 metres high. 5 painters of the Third Republic were responsible for the huge work , of whom the most well-known nowadays is Georges Clairin , who painted the Africa and Asia parts.

Around the rotunda, at ground level, 24 wooden show cases which have been in place since 1889 make an elegant setting for Bertrand Lavier's every day objects, displayed in an unusual way- for example an upended damaged moped or a purple double bass.

 

Photographers Michel Journiac, Cindy Sherman and Martha Wilson took a new look at stereotypes in the 1970s and challenged our conceptions of gender or social roles.

Michel Journiac: 24 hours in the life of a woman

Cindy Sherman

A large colourful painting by Martial Raysse meets the visitor at the top of the stairs in the first room. It shows a grotesque conglomeration of bathers on a beach enclosed by high rise buildings at the back and a small patch of blue sea at the front. Enough to put you off bathing forever!

Martial Raysse (French, born in 1936) first made his name with the "New Realists" movement, who confronted the consumer society of the 60s. He holds the record for the most expensive work sold by a living French artist.

From the top of the stairway, visitors may enjoy a splendid view towards the Pompidou centre, where many more works of modern art are on display.

Bourse de Commerce, 2 rue de Viarmes, paris 75001. Metro: Châtelet.

Open Monday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm. Closed Tuesdays. Late opening on Fridays until 9pm.