“Art has kept me out of jail,”
claimed Jan Fabre in 1981 with
a performance dedicated to
Jacques Mesrine, one of France’s
most famous thieves.
“And out
of museums,” he adds today,
20 years on with an extended
new version of the performance
at the Louvre. The subject
of freedom is extended to the art
world, represented by the museum
of all museums, the Louvre.
In the room that holds the Nike of
Samothrace, Fabre adopts various
costumes to interpret various
shady characters. The
Flemish artist was also invited
by the French museum to confront
himself with the works of
the northern European schools
of painting displayed in the galleries.
“L’Ange de la métamorphose”
(the title of the exhibition
open until July 7) follows an
unusual itinerary placing around
30 works (pen drawings, sculptures
of human bones, paintings
with traces of blood) alongside
paintings by Bosch, Rubens,
Van Eyck and Rembrandt. Fabre
has designed a cup for the Illy
art collection for the occasion
that will be produced in a limited
edition of one thousand. Elena Sommariva
www.louvre.fr
Art kept me out of jail
“Art has kept me out of jail,” claimed Jan Fabre in 1981 with a performance dedicated to Jacques Mesrine, one of France’s most famous thieves.
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- 04 June 2008