Must-See Exhibitions in Paris
Paris Art Week is underway with fairs, exhibitions, and events happening across the city. Here, we’re sharing our top recommendations for which exhibitions to see while you’re in town—including what’s on view at Mendes Wood, Galerie Derouillon, David Zwirner, and the Jardin des Tuileries.
Mamma Andersson, “The Misunderstood,” 2023, © Mamma Andersson/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/
Bildupphovsrätt, Sweden, courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner.
What to See at David Zwirner Paris
Mamma Andersson: “Adieu Maria Magdalena”
October 16—November 18
The Swedish artist Mamma Andersson presents her first exhibition in Paris at David Zwirner’s rue Vieille du Temple gallery. Titled “Adieu Maria Magdalena,” it represents a farewell to a previous phase in the artist’s life—in both its name and its paintings, which have been imagined mainly on canvas instead of Andersson’s previously preferred oil on board compositions. The works depict romantic interiors with a touch of uneasiness and a kind of aching nostalgia, where the time and place are uncertain but Andersson’s stylistic trademark is strong. The works detail snapshots of curious moments like a painting of a painting, perched against a wooden wall and an ornate rug (Lièvre Mort d’Ehrenstrahl, detailing a rendition of a painting by David Klocker von Ehrenstrahl), or an interior landscape of tables, books, and mannequin hands (a recurring motif in the artist’s work) titled The Misunderstood.
Installation view, “I see no difference between a handshake and a poem,” courtesy of the artists and Mendes Wood.
Mendes Wood Presents a Poetic Show in Paris
“I see no difference between a handshake and a poem”
October 14—November 25
Mendes Wood inaugurates its new Place des Vosges gallery space with a group show named “I see no difference between a handshake and a poem.” Named for words written in a letter by the poet Paul Celan in 1960, the exhibition explores the significance of touch throughout time, comprised of a selection curated by Fernanda Brenner, which includes existing and commissioned works by around 40 artists. Offering reflections of all nature, the show centers hands and the act of touching in tandem with themes like psychology, personal histories, social conditioning, and ideas of weakness or obsession. Featured are works by the likes of Katinka Bock, Lygia Pape, Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Tosh Basco, Beatriz Santiago Muñoz, and many more.
Vojtěch Kovařík, installation view, “Lost in Time,” at Galerie Derouillon, © Gregory Copitet, courtesy of the artist and Gallery Derouillon.
Don’t Miss the Exhibition at Galerie Derouillon
Vojtěch Kovařík: Lost in Time
October 16—November 25
The artist Vojtěch Kovařík is concerned with dismantling the grandeur of mythology, often working with a cast of Greek figures like Aphrodite, Ares, Prometheus, and Theseus, capturing them in significantly less godly states than their stories of origin would suggest. Evoking the work of Diego Riviera and José Clemente Orozco, Kovařík embraces symbolism, simplicity, and clarity when depicting his statuesque subjects (sometimes painted in striking hues and others cast in resin and sand) which he creates from a need to remove the systems of oppression their hierarchical narratives uphold. At the center of his show at Galerie Derouillon is a mural-sized painting entitled Four Seasons, where five mythological figures are seen together in a horizontal landscape, appearing in various states of melancholy and dissatisfaction. One sits alone with outward gaze, one grasps half of a pomegranate, and the other three are engaged in what appears to be a tussle or physical altercation. Surrounding the mural, the show features an installation with piles of sand and a series of smaller paintings and sculptures that have been described as an “emotional landscape.”
Claudia Wieser, “But round my chair the children run,” 2023, presented by Sies + Höke (Düsseldorf) and von Bartha (Bâle, Copenhagen), courtesy of Paris+ par Art Basel.
Go to the Programming at the Jardin des Tuileries
“The fifth season”
October18—22
For the second year running, Annabelle Ténèze (the incoming Director of the Louvre-Lens Museum) has curated the public programming in the Jardin des Tuileries, which is presented in a partnership between Paris+ par Art Basel and the Louvre Museum. Entitled “The fifth season,” Ténèze’s curatorial concept builds on her last exhibition in the gardens (La Suite de l’Histoire” or “The Aftermath of History”), looking at the garden as a space of coexistence, noting humankind’s interdependence with nature and the other living species on our planet. Seen throughout the garden are works like Meriem Bennani’s tornado-esque Windy, a trellis of hanging objects called Baked Potatoes by Jacqueline de Jong, a large, and an architectural sculpture by Claudia Wieser featuring a tiled surface with geometric patterns, titled But round my chair the children run. Other featured artists include names like Gaetano Pesce, Nicène Kossentini, Alicja Kwade, Zanele Muholi, Hans Josephson, Joël Andrianomearisoa, and Solange Pessoa.
