Vanitas. From Caravaggio to Damien Hirst

Musee Maillol, Paris

Almost all artistic movements from the Baroque to neo-pop art, post-impressionism to surrealism have explored the theme in painting, sculpture, photographs, jewellery, videos, engravings and objects. The exhibition opens with contemporary examples by artists such as Jan Fabre, Cindy Sherman, Yan Pei Ming and Annette Messager, among others, and the theme is then explored in reverse chronological order, covering more than two thousand years of history.

comunicato stampa

curated by Claudio Strinati

The concept of vanitas or the transitory nature of life has served as inspiration for artists and artisans for millennia.

Almost all artistic movements from the Baroque to neo-pop art, post-impressionism to surrealism have explored the theme in painting, sculpture, photographs, jewellery, videos, engravings and objects.

This unusual exhibition traces vanities in art from antiquity to the present day by presenting an eclectic mix of 160 objects - from modern-day pieces such as a c-print of Damien Hirst's diamond encrusted skull, For the Love of God, 2007, and Carrying the Skeleton, 2008, a c-print by Marina Abramovic, which shows the Serbian performance artist carrying a skeleton on her back, to earlier examples such as ancient Pompeian mosaics of skulls and the popular memento mori genre paintings of the 17th century.

Issues such as global warming as well as political and spiritual splintering have created a renewed interest in vanities.

The exhibition opens with contemporary examples by artists such as Jan Fabre, Cindy Sherman, Yan Pei Ming and Annette Messager, among others, and the theme is then explored in reverse chronological order, covering more than two thousand years of history.

Highlights include: two paintings of St Francis, one by Caravaggio and the other by Zurbaran; Cezanne's still-life Nature Morte, Crane et Chandelier, 1866-67; and Warhol's Skull, 1976. The exhibition ends with an extensive display of vanitas-themed jewels on loan from international collections, including a rare opportunity to view pieces from the world famous Codognato collection.

The luxury Venetian jewellery house has produced pieces for cognocenti and art world glitterati such as Manet and Warhol for more than 120 years.

This exhibition, co-curated by the general director of the Italian Ministry of Culture Claudio Strinati, is the first undertaken by the museum's recently appointed art director Patrizia Nitti. E.S.

Image: Cezanne's still-life Nature Morte, Crane et Chandelier, 1866-67

Press contact:
Claude Unger Paris tel 01 42225725, fax 01 42841444, e-mail cunger@museemaillol.com

Opening 3 February 2010

Fondation Dina Vierny - Musée Maillol
59-61, rue de Grenelle 75007 Paris
From 10:30 am to 7 pm. Closed on Tuesday and holidays.
Admission 9 € instead of 11 € and 5% reduction in the museum bookshop on presentation of a Thalys ticket, Thalys TheCard or Ticketless card.
Public transport: Underground : Rue du Bac
Bus : n° 63, 68, 69, 83, 84

stampa

permanent link

Musee Maillol

IN ARCHIVIO [9]

Serge Poliakoff
dal 17/9/2013 al 8/2/2014