If Jean Paul Riopelle (1923-2002) had made a name for himself within the Parisian artistic universe from the 1950s, his star had ended up a little fading, for lack of a gallery owner in the French capital. The celebrations of its centenary of birth are an opportunity to have it rediscovered or discovered by new generations. Also, it is with great fanfare that the activities that will be devoted to it in 2023-2024 in France are announced this Wednesday morning at the Canadian Cultural Center in Paris.
The highlight of these announcements is undoubtedly the exhibition, from July 1 to November 17, of some 180 works by Riopelle at the Fondation Maeght, located in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, in the south of France. This is where, at the end of the 1960s, Riopelle had imagined the creation of a foundation like the one created by Marguerite and Aimé Maeght, who represented and helped him for many years.
Yseult Riopelle, one of the artist’s two daughters, is the curator of Jean Paul Riopelle – Parfums d’ateliers, which will showcase works in various mediums created on both sides of the Atlantic. The exhibition will be accompanied by a program dedicated to Riopelle. With concerts, outdoor films – including documentaries in collaboration with the International Festival of Films on Art – workshops for children and a contemporary dance performance, Passages, by French dancer and choreographer Noé Soulier, which will be presented in the sets that Riopelle had designed for Merce Cunningham in 1967.
“We are going to exhibit collages, pastels, charcoals, sanguines, tapestries and even string games (!), works that are little known in Europe,” says Yseult Riopelle. It is therefore in a new light that the public will be called upon to discover or rediscover Riopelle’s work through this exhibition. »
Forty-two years after Riopelle’s last exhibition at the Center Pompidou, the museum will put the Montreal artist in the spotlight at the end of this year with several of the paintings belonging to him. Such as Chevreuse (1954), La Mi-été chez Georges (1973) or even Mitchikanabikong (1975). Four works on paper will be added, including the monumental Feu vert (1960), works from other public and private collections, as well as some previously exhibited at the Maeght Foundation. The curator will be signed by Christian Briend, curator at the National Museum of Modern Art and head of the modern collections department.
“As we do across Canada, this exhibition at Pompidou will probably then lead to collaborations with other institutions in France,” says Manon Gauthier, Executive Director of the Riopelle Foundation. This will ensure optimal circulation of the corpus of works by Jean Paul Riopelle. »
Another major collaboration, the Riopelle Foundation has partnered with the French-speaking television channel TV5Monde, official broadcaster of the Riopelle celebrations worldwide. The cultural channel will launch a campaign to promote the event and special programming. The latter will include interviews on the program L’invité and three one-hour programs filmed at the Maeght Foundation and broadcast as part of the 400 million critics program. TV5Monde will also broadcast short films by Riopelle en courts on its website.
“Celebrating Riopelle through the Francophonie responds to the Riopelle Foundation’s desire to take into account the fact that Jean Paul Riopelle shines in the Francophonie, but also to ensure that the celebrations that take place and will take place in Canada and France are known wherever TV5Monde is broadcast, i.e. in 198 countries and 421 million households,” says Manon Gauthier.
A second European part of the celebrations, for the period 2024-2025, will be announced later. It will include exhibitions and performances. This component will precede the inauguration (late 2025-early 2026) of the new Espace Riopelle, which will be built at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, on the Plains of Abraham.
“Espace Riopelle will be the highlight of the celebrations,” explains Manon Gauthier. It will be an international showcase that will promote the legacy of Jean Paul Riopelle but also Quebec. After these activities in Europe and the creation of Espace Riopelle, it is a safe bet that galleries, collectors, art historians, museums and other cultural partners will also show an interest in joining the celebrations. »
