For the40th anniversary of the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Château de Chambord is hosting an exhibition dedicated to the works that illustrated his life. In this mythical castle, you will find from June 18 to November 19 exceptional works in a royal setting.
Pompidou a president in his time:
Georges Pompidou was a fervent claimant of the art of his time. The most beautiful pieces of contemporary art were collected by the president at Matignon and then at the Elysée. It is his son, Alain Pompidou who inherited this collection and who lends the pieces to Chambord in 2017. The president had a knack for identifying avant-garde artists who would later make a name for themselves in art history.His wife Claude also had a great impact on this collection.
Chambord, the place:
The castle of Chambord is both spiritual and metaphysical which facilitates the dialogue between the walls and the artists all very different. It is the largest enclosed estate in Europe. Indeed, Paris holds in Chambord. Surrounded by nature, the castle draws its strength and beauty from its surrounding forests.
The link between Pompidou and Chambord:
On several occasions, the former president went to the castle of Chambord for hunting and his love of beauty. He went there 6 times, including 5 times between 69 and 74.
Find the collection of Georges Pompidou:
The imperfection of the knowledge we have about Georges Pompidou's collection makes it difficult to set up an exhibition such as this. It was therefore necessary to cross the testimonies and to use the 3 previous exhibitions conducted by Claude Pompidou to retrieve information. The idea of this exhibition is not to show the works of Pompidou, but rather to present those he had in his eye. About twenty works come from the Pompidou family, a third from the Centre Pompidou and the others come from private collections or galleries.
Composition of the exhibition:
There are more than 90 contemporary works exhibited for this anniversary. We can recognize the Paulin salon of the Elysee, Meh de Vasarely or the Victory of Samothrace by Yves Klein. 4 works are not from the collection of the president but the affection that the latter had for these artists, justifies their presence at the castle.
You can admire Max Ersnt's Woman 100 Heads, the first work bought by the couple, the first of a long series. It was only after the war that the president bought the work of the Russian Youla Chapoval. Under the vaults, we can see "Trans-appearance of the verb" by Matta which spreads over more than 7 meters wide. You can walk between works by Georges Braque, Sonia Delaunay Nicolas De Stael, Jean Fautrier or Pierre Soulages. Three works by Nicolas De Stael are exhibited, he is the only artist on whom Georges Pompidou expressed himself by evoking his purity. The exhibition is divided into several parts, including one, that of kinetic art, which does not present a French artist. The painting of Pierre Soulages is the oldest. During Chirac's presidency, it remained in the closet. When he met the artist in 86, the latter asked him what he had done with his work, which would eventually return to the Centre Pompidou. Baladur will bring the painting back to Matignon in 93 which today is in Chambord.
This exhibition is exclusive, about 10 works have never been shown to the public. He is the director of cultural programming of Chambord Yannick Mercoyrol who made the choice of these works.
Here is the beautiful quote inscribed above the Paulin salon:
"THE WORK OF ART IS THE SWORD OF THE ARCHANGEL AND IT MUST PIERCE US"
GEORGES POMPIDOU (1 SEPTEMBER 1966)
Domaine National de Chambord less than 2 hours from Paris, 15 km from Blois. www.chambord.org
Opening days: All year round
Price: 13 euros and 11 euros reduced price
