Simon Hantai would have been 100 years old, the occasion of a new presentation of his work at the Louis Vuitton Foundation.

A masterful figure of abstraction

On the occasion of the centenary of the birth of the artist Simon Hantai (1922-2008), the Foundation presents an unprecedented retrospective exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Hantaï family, bringing together more than 130 works by the artist, many of which have never been exhibited. , mostly large formats and centered on the years 1957-2000. And for the occasion, the foundation has decided to introduce the work of this masterful figure of abstraction with a canvas little known to the general public on loan from the Elysée; “Rose Writing”, this mysterious creation created between 1958 and 1959; A year during which the painter copied day and night the liturgical texts by adding formulas inherited from his favorite authors: Hegel, Goethe or Heidegger. A unique, illegible and indecipherable work, punctuated with abstract signs and other symbols that are part of his aesthetic philosophy.

His famous foldings

The exhibition does not forget his famous foldings, recognizable among a thousand. At the same time, the Foundation will present the exhibition “La Couleur en fugue“, where colors and media invent a new freedom by invading the space of the Foundation. The artistic influences decisive in the development of Hantaï are highlighted through the presentation of works by Henri Matisse and Jackson Pollock. Finally, the friendship and working relationships forged in the early 1960s between Simon Hantaï and the young artists around him at the Cité des Fleurs, Michel Parmentier and Daniel Buren are evoked in the exhibition.

“Simon Hantaï – The centenary exhibition”, at the Louis Vuitton Foundation (Paris 16th) until August 29. foundationlouisvuitton.fr https://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/fr/evenements/simon-hantai-l-exposition-du-centenaire