Text: Aran Cravey
With over a hundred museums, Paris is the undisputed capital of artistic institutions. And while it can boast more than it's fair share of publicly funded, pillars of art history, it's contemporary art funding lags far behind it's foreign competitors. Which is why entrepreneur and contemporary art enthusiast, Antoine de Galbert has taken it upon himself to build his a foundation dedicated to not only the exhibition and funding of living artists, but to the dialogue between creative minds from various nations, genres and political points of view. As a professional dealer and private collector, de Galbert understood the complexities of the contemporary art world and saw a need for a galvanizing force between its polarizing sectors.
In 2000, Maison Rouge was founded as a forum for creative discussion of all varieties of artistic creation. As a privately funded foundation, Maison Rouge has the freedom to encourage emerging artists and allow for experimentation in it's exhibition program. Dedicated to artistic collaborations and cultural exchange, Maison Rouge presents three distinctly different exhibitions this summer that provide a fresh perspective on the other.
Lining the walls of the inner gallery, Jean de Maximy's ink drawn frieze invites guests into a metaphysical morphic reality. Upon venturing further, viewers will discover other distant realms and one of the lesser explored aspects of founder Antoine de Galbert's collection. The 400 headdresses and ceremonial ornaments in this presentation served a practical purpose in the cultures from which they originated. The presence of these indigenous cultural artifacts in this contemporary artistic venue adds a global and historical juxtaposition to the space's modernity.
It also makes a compelling parallel with the third exhibition of new works by Belgian artist Peter Buggenhout. Like artifacts from an apocalyptic parallel universe, Buggenhout's amorphous sculptures are constructed from a variety of mixed media ranging from dust and debris to animal entrails. In the sculptor's hands, these mundane materials take on an otherworldliness, as if archaeological relics from a long forgotten society. Buggenhout's work proposes some alternate views of our own everyday lives.
If these three exhibitions weren't enough to attract you to Maison Rouge this summer, than the charming courtyard, cafe and well air conditioned interior should send you running. As Paris enters the dog days of summer and the August lines of tourists extends, the Maison Rouge offers not only a space for a refreshing climate, but a new take on some lesser exhibited artistic avenues.
La Maison Rouge
10 boulevard de la bastille
Paris 75012 Paris
tel. +33(0) 1 40 01 08 81
fax +33(0) 1 40 01 08 83
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 to 7
Thursday until to 9pm
Métro: Quai de la Rapée ou Bastille