Gérard Garouste at Centre Pompidou - A magnificent retrospective

An exhibition dedicated to an artist whose reputation is marvelous, yet who remains quite a mystery. A good hundred paintings and sculptures chronologically cover over 50 years of Garouste’s work. He was first noticed thanks to the stage sets he designed for Jean-Michel Ribes’s shows at the Palace. In 1977 he presented Le Classique et l’Indien, a show he not only designed the décor for, but that he wrote and directed himself. Although his decade-long development of Le Classique et de l’Indien focused on the opposite yet complementary Apollon and Dionysus traits which inhabit us all, he went on to work on a wide range of different themes afterwards. 

Dante’s poetical recital, la Divine Comédie, for example, inspired a series of works  depicted in bold colours. Shortly after, Rabelais’ work inspired him to design a monumental installation which frustrated spectators – a two-sided canvass of which only one side could be seen through small eye holes. The system allowed spectators to only catch fragments without the ability to fully follow the recital and forced them to fill in the gaps themselves to understand the whole story. In the 1990s Garouste became interested in the Talmud and even learnt Hebrew.

Haggada in particular, made up of tales and parables which are interpretable in so many ways, became the source of large-scale paintings with complex and often airtight iconography. His painting is as intellectual as it is inspired by literature and has an entertaining dimension, as the artist often stages himself in his large works. The large Banquet (2021) triptych ending the exhibition oozes with references recalling, from a pictural point of view, works by Greco, Tintoret and many more.

Given the time of year, why not end the day at the gorgeous Grand Colbert brasserie close to the BnF and Galerie Vivienne. The Art Nouveau settings with mosaic floor tiles, lofty ceilings, cosy seating area with leather benches, round tables and copper pegs is currently decorated with
elegant lights and large white tree branches.
Oysters and seafood on the menu, as well as all the usual Parisian brasserie dishes cooked perfectly and served with a wide range of wines by wonderfully courteous waiters. We recommend the rum baba or the hazelnut praline Paris-Brest for dessert.

Traditional Parisian cuisine at its best!