Shows to See During FIAC Paris 2017

Whitewaller London & Paris is out this week for FIAC. Outside the fairs, don’t miss these exhibitions on view at Paris’ museums and galleries.

Irving Penn at the Grand Palais
September 21—January 29, 2018
The exhibition marks the centenary of Irving Penn’s birth and is the first major show of his work in France since his passing in 2009. More than 240 photos will be on view, encompassing the scope of Penn’s 70-year career. Among his subjects were fashion portraits, still lifes, and street scenes. The show takes visitors from his first images of Philadelphia and New York to his later portraits of Alvin Ailey and Zaha Hadid.

Derain, Balthus, Giacometti at Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
June 2–October 29
“Une amitié artistique” is an intimate look at the friendship of André Derain, Balthus, and Alberto Giacometti. This is the first time their artistic outputs have been looked at through a lens focused on relationship and mutual admiration. More than 350 artworks—including painting, sculpture, works on paper, and photographs from the early 20th century—are on view, showcasing a shared modernist bent.

Camille Henrot at Palais de Tokyo
October 18–January 7, 2018
For the third iteration of Palais de Tokyo’s “Carte Blanche” series, artist Camille Henrot will take over the entire exhibition space of the museum with “Days Are Dogs.” The show investigates our dependency on the invented structure of the seven-day week. A range of Henrot’s practice will be accompanied by work from artists David Horvitz, Avery Singer, Samara Scott, Nancy Lupo, and Maria Loboda and poet Jacob Bromberg.

“Women House” at Monnaie de Paris
October 20–January 28, 2018
“Women House” is a group exhibition centered around the theme of the female gender and the domestic space. The work of 40 artists—including Cindy Sherman, Louise Bourgeois, Rachel Whiteread, Joana Vasconcelos, Pia Camil, and Heidi Bucher—is on view, curated by Camille Morineau and Lucia Pesapane. “Women House” pays homage to the Womanhouse project by Miriam Schapiro and Judy Chicago from 1972.

“Les Bons Sentiments” at Fondation d’entreprise Ricard
September 4–October 28
The exhibition “Les Bons Sentiments” features the work of six artists nominated by Anne-Claire Schmitz for the 19th Fondation d’entreprise Ricard Award. Deborah Bowmann, Pauline Curnier Jardin, Lola Gonzàlez, Thomas Jeppe, Caroline Mesquita, and Zin Taylor were invited to show works that best represent their practice, in celebration of today’s world.

“Couturier du Rêve” at Musée des Arts Décoratifs
July 5–January 7, 2018
The House of Dior celebrates its 70th anniversary with “Couturier du Rêve” (Designer of Dreams). The massive exhibition reveals the creative genius of Christian Dior and his successors through hundreds of couture gowns, garments, accessories, fragrances, illustrations, photos, and documents within impressive sets and galleries filled with paintings, furniture, and objets d’art.

Nalini Malani at Centre Pompidou
October 18–January 8, 2018
“The Rebellion of the Dead” is the first retrospective of work by the Indian artist Nalini Malani in France and Italy and takes place in two parts, at the Centre Pompidou (2017–2018) and Castello di Rivoli (2018). The show in Paris presents work from 1969 to today, including her “All We Imagine as Light” painting series and site-specific performance Traces. Malani explores the role of women in post-Partition India and the world at large in her practice.

Ali Kazma at Jeu de Paume
October 17–January 21, 2018
Ali Kazma is an Istanbul-based artist creating videos that question economic and social structures in our globalized society. The human presence is a subject the artist continues to return to, notably in works like Clerk (2011) and Absence (2011). The solo show “Subterranean” at Jeu de Paume is curated by Pia Viewing.

“Être Moderne” at Fondation Louis Vuitton
October 11–March 5, 2018
The Fondation Louis Vuitton has partnered with the Museum of Modern Art in New York to present “Être Moderne: Le MoMA à Paris.” The exhibition features a selection of two hundred incredible works, revealing the evolution of the museum’s world-famous collection. The show was curated with the Fondation’s Frank Gehry design in mind, creating fascinating interactions between the architecture and the range of artworks.

Malick Sidibé at Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain
October 20–February 25, 2018
“Mali Twist” is a retrospective of work by the photographer Malick Sidibé, including both images that are well known and some on view for the first time, like a vast collection of vintage photographs and portraits from the artist’s archives. In 1995, the Fondation Cartier was the first to present Sidibé’s work outside of Africa. The show brilliantly revisits the work of “the eye of Bamako.”

Daniel Arsham at Galerie Perrotin
October 14–December 23
For “The Angle of Repose,” the New York–based artist Daniel Arsham plays with materials and light at the gallery in the Marais. Drawing inspiration from his childhood, Arsham continues to explore themes of memory and time, permanence and impermanence. New to this show is an interest in astrology and Eastern philosophies, seen in sand paintings, colorful gardens, and 3-D globes.

Ni Youyu at Nathalie Obadia
September 9–October 28
“The Endless Second” is Ni Youyu’s first exhibition in France. The young Chinese artist works in a variety of disciplines, describing his process as both a tribute and a disruption. Recent works are on view, including his series “Water Washed Paintings” and other works in photography, engraving on wood, acrylic on canvas, chalk dust, and stone.

George Segal at Galerie Daniel Templon
September 9–October 28
The late American sculptor George Segal (1924–2000) is known for his environments populated with disturbing plaster figures made from a layered bandage mold. A comprehensive selection of his works will be on view, from his originally realist style to a more expansive and freer style of expression. The bandage technique he developed was deeply evocative, painterly, and expressive, playing with light, shadow, and texture.

Gilbert & George at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac — Pantin
October 18—January 20, 2018
Created over the past two years, the pictures will be unveiled over the next months in a series of exhibitions in Paris, New York, Brussels, London, Naples, and Athens. The artists have made a selection of the “BEARD PICTURES” for Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris Pantin, which will vary in size up to the 23-meter-long triptych OLD BEARD RUIN.

Haegue Yang at Galerie Chantal Crousel
October 14–November 25
This is Haegue Yang’s third solo show at Galerie Chantal Crousel. It includes new two- and three-dimensional pieces inspired by the artist’s interrogation of personal aspirations and daily lives. Yang observes tensions in our individual, cultural, and social environments and confrontations we have with unfamiliar cultures.

George Condo at Almine Rech Gallery
October 16—November 18
This is George Condo’s first solo exhibition with the gallery. The show will consist of a dialogue between paintings from the 1980s and the present day, along with recent drawings and sculptures. Applying the methods and techniques of his predecessors, Condo prolifically reinvigorates art-historical influences by addressing subjects that have not previously been elaborated.

Chantal Akerman at Marian Goodman Gallery
September 14—October 21
In Paris, Marian Goodman is presenting two video installations by Chantal Akerman, In the Mirror (1971–2007) and NOW (2015). The latter, which is being shown in France for the first time, was commissioned for the 2015 Venice Biennale and was Akerman’s last work. It depicts a conflicted world, fragmented and constantly moving.

Artur Lescher at Palais d’Iéna in Paris
October 17—25, 2017
Curated by Matthieu Poirier, this is the first exhibition in France of Artur Lescher. The Brazilian artist is a major figure of abstract art in Latin America. Lescher’s sculptures, some of which have been made especially for the show, are presented in dialogue with the 1930s Auguste Perret architecture of the space.