In Metz, a Louise Nevelson atmosphere

Metz (Moselle). No need to look for Mrs. N’s Palace in the retrospective that the Center Pompidou-Metz devotes to Louise Nevelson (1899-1988): this monumental “palace”, emblematic of the artist’s architectural approach, is not present in the exhibition, to which it lends its title. It doesn’t matter, because we’ve been waiting for this one for a long time. Certainly, in Paris, Nevelson’s work was shown as early as 1958 by the Jeanne Bucher and Daniel Cordier galleries, but her only institutional exhibition in France, at the Center national d’art contemporain, dates back to 1974. One hundred and fifty works – including several sets of her famous tall black carved wooden walls – are brought together at the Center Pompidou-Metz, in partnership with the Pace Gallery, which accompanied the sculptor throughout her career and which manages her estate with the gallery Gmurzynska. The exhibition will then travel to the Soulages Museum in Rodez. Because yes, the master of the Shadowlands knew “the Architect of Darkness and Light” as she defined herself. At the end of this retrospective, everyone is free to imagine other bodies of work inspired by that of this great figure of 20th century art.

A unique relationship with space

The head of the programming department and curator of the exhibition, Anne Horvath wanted to restore the “environmental” dimension of Louise Nevelson’s wall sculptures, too often shown in isolation. “Nevelson did not seek to produce objects, but atmospheres”she explains. The hanging, without really obeying a chronological progression, suggests a progressive expansion of the artist’s universe, whose monumental scale asserts itself with the environments Moon Garden + One And Tropical Rain Garden.

The exhibition also outlines a reading through the prism of dance, this other relationship of the body to space which had an important place in the work and life of the artist. The fact that Nevelson considered space, not as a void, but as “ a matter inhabited by forms » (1) can in fact offer a reading key to the visitor. But this choreographic track is only supported by a few videos – notably the recording of the solo Lamentation by Martha Graham – echoed by the performances of the associated programming. The notion of dynamics, so dear to Louise Nevelson – who also wanted the public to be able to manipulate some of her wooden pieces, in order to take part in the composition of the works – seems here to encounter the limits of the museum framework and its contingencies. Damage.

Fascinating new collages

On the other hand, one of the enormous assets of this exhibition lies in the almost unprecedented presence of around sixty collages by the artist. “There are hundreds of them, which Nevelson never wanted to show, explains Anne Horvath. With the exception of an exhibition in 2022 in Venice by the Joe Marconi and Pace galleries, this is the first time we have seen them. » However, these collages (combining paper, wood, sometimes sheets of metal or newspaper, paint, etc.), made on plywood panels, are fascinating. This daily practice, which spans more than thirty years, testifies to his sense of composition but also to his taste for color, as well as the cubist and surrealist influences on his sculptural experiments.

The route opens with the spectacular American Tribute to the British People (see ill.), imposing golden wall resembling a portal, framed by the split silhouette of a dancer from the Merce Cunningham company. The entry thus depicted into Nevelson’s kingdom highlights this gold color which she only used very occasionally, while giving, thanks to the holograms, a living dimension to her work. This preamble, like the first captivating sentences of a story, in any case makes you want to continue further. But the overriding scenographic decision concerns the arrangement of black picture rails almost throughout the exhibition, in order to reinforce the absorbing dimension of the work, the ambition of which, according to Nevelson, was to create in the spectator a ” mindset “. Clever lighting work – notably the use of bluish light for Moon Garden + One – compensates for the twilight side of this scenography, while the immaculate room of Dawn’s Wedding Feast (a set which was presented at the Museum of Modern Art, in New York, in 1959 in the exhibition “Sixteen Americans”) offers a welcome breath of fresh air in the middle.

The room texts stand out very legibly in white on a black background. However, generally speaking, the purpose is less educational (with the exception of a room dedicated to a detailed biography) than indeed, atmospheric, banking on the curiosity of visitors: most will undoubtedly discover this little-known work. The exhibition thus gives cause for astonishment and wonder, without seeking to resolve the mystery of this dreamlike sculptural work – which is also a way of preserving its magic.