MUSEmemoirs

Info:

• Dates: 04.05.24 – 09.09.24
• Curator: Suzanne Pagé & Olivier Michelon
• Where: Fondation Louis Vuitton
• Price: 16 euros/ 10 euros reduced

The Louis Vuitton Foundation dedicates an exhibition to the American painter, almost ten years after his death. From the first room, the visitor enters a world of vivid colours, monochromes and geometric forms that attract and immerge. The rooms of the exhibition are invested in such an ethereal and silent atmosphere, through the medium of pure forms typic of the artist. The exhibition retraces the productive seventy years of career, which audaciously placed itself in contrast with the Abstract Expressionism, typic of the time.

The exhibition is organized chronologically. The first rooms focus on Kelly’s time in Paris, where he moved in 1948. This period was crucial in developing his career: despite not being part of any avant-garde movement, it was in this city that Kelly developed his abstract art, drawing inspiration from reality and its details. It was also in Paris that he created his first monochrome.

Kelly spent six years in France. Upon returning to the United States, he continued his quest to simplify forms, seeking ethereal simplicity through geometric shapes and brilliant colors. This part of the exhibition strikes the viewer with large formats that are both silent and evocative.

One of the most emblematic pieces presented in the exhibition is “Yellow Curve” (1990), a site-specific artwork conceived for the Portikus art center in Frankfurt. This piece exemplifies Kelly’s interest in the environment and the context of his works: not only are his artworks inspired by everyday details, but it is also important that the work dialogues with its surroundings. In this exact reproduction of the Frankfurt piece, this effect is evident: the entire room brightens and reflects the yellow shape, which strikes the visitor by being placed on the floor rather than on a wall, amplifying its engaging optical effect.

The exhibition continues in the auditorium, where a permanent work by Kelly fills the space. For this and many other permanent installations he made for museums and institutions worldwide, the architecture of the place is essential in shaping the final result. In the auditorium, visitors are invited to walk around the room and discover the five colored panels and the immediate impact of “Spectrum VIII” (2014), which immediately catches the eye.

“I don’t want my pieces necessarily to be statements. I want them to be fluid, somehow, to relate to all the elements around them. I don’t want them to be an end in themselves”

– Ellsworth Kelly

On the ground floor, visitors encounter other aspects of Kelly’s practice, revealing his constant research and experimentation. The room dedicated to Kelly’s photography showcases his perception of reality: through his lens, Kelly captures the world in its details, with particular shadows, architectural features, and varied viewpoints. In the same room, his drawings of different plant species impress with their simplicity and accuracy, again highlighting his attention to the reality around him. Finally, a collection of his collages, made using postcards as a medium, is displayed. Amusing and intriguing, these cards were significant for the artist, who produced almost four hundred of them by 2005.

Overall, the exhibition is well-developed and rich, showcasing the vast Kelly’s production. Each room is thoughtfully designed to highlight the different phases that he explored throughout his career. In the today era of a return to figurative art, Kelly’s pieces stand out for their ability to capture the essence of simplicity and purity of form. His works encourages a deeper contemplation of space, shape, and color.

My personal highlights:

• Postcards series (1949 – 2005)
• Yellow Curve (1990)
• Photographies (1950 – 2015)
• Atlantic (1956)