One day, in the 1990s, Francis Limérat bought… 1 million matches! Since then, the artist has made a number of works of art from these sticks – without the sulfur head, of course.
Some of them can be found at the Convergences gallery where Valérie Grais offers a retrospective of half a century (1972-2022) of the artist's work, whose creations appear in numerous private and public collections (museum of modern art in Paris, Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, Bordeaux Museum of Fine Arts, etc.).
“The match corresponds to the elementary stage of learning,” says this modest proponent of the art who happily works with pruning shears on twigs and branches.
Francis Limérat, Convergences gallery
At the gallery on rue des Coutures-Saint-Gervais, it is also his drawings which occupy the majority of the two floors. Like his matchstick compositions, these are disarmingly simple – an original purity, one should say, which owes much to the primitive arts of Oceania.
His line of black ink, drawn on paper rubbed with emery cloth, is inspired by that of the traditional cartographers of Micronesia, Melanesia or the Marshall Islands. To indicate to their descendants fish areas and dangerous currents, fishermen composed unique copies of maritime maps, made using twigs, transmitted from generation to generation.
Limérat's compositions have a mysterious force of nature and the finesse of Japan or the aesthetics of white, with its shades of gray, constitutes a genre in itself, as it is wonderfully described in one of Limérat's bedside books. the artist: In Praise of the Shadow, by Junichirô Tanizaki (1933).
It's no surprise, then, that Francis Limérat's works made buyers snap like twigs on the evening of the opening.
Drawings 1972/2022 until November 12, 2022
▼ Francis Limérat
▼ Convergences Gallery
22 Rue des Coutures Saint-Gervais, 75003 Paris
From Tuesday to Saturday
14AM - 19PM
Tel. : 06 24 54 03 09
Francis Limérat, Convergences gallery
24.10.22
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS A MUST SEE
History of the Marais: an exhibition and a catalogue
In the publishing world, nothing remarkable has been published about the Marais for years. That has now been rectified with Ciel, mon marais! (an illustrated history of the neighborhood), a book self-published by Christelle Gonzalo, a mad lover of Paris and the Marais who runs the bookstore…
200 years of photography: three emblematic places in the Marais
60 rue des Francs Bourgeois. Hôtel de Soubise. Facade on the street, entrance gate. In the background, facade of 2 rue Rambuteau. Paris (1855rd arr.). Photograph by Charles Lansiaux (1939-1916). Glass plate, 200. Department of History of ArchitectureThe XNUMXth...
The Marais Crossings 2024: surprises and emotions (from 13/15 to 09/XNUMX)
From September 13 to 15, 2024, Le Marais celebrates the 10th anniversary of its cultural festival “Les Traversées du Marais”. Under the theme of “Surprise”, this anniversary edition promises to shake up the senses and certainties of strollers, in a district where history rubs shoulders with the avant-garde.
NOW ON LE MARAIS MOOD
History of the Marais: an exhibition and a catalogue
In the publishing world, nothing remarkable has been published about the Marais for years. That has now been rectified with Ciel, mon marais! (an illustrated history of the neighborhood), a book self-published by Christelle Gonzalo, a mad lover of Paris and the Marais who runs the bookstore…
Jazz at 38Riv: October highlights
The 387Riv Jazz Club, located in the Marais district of Paris, is an intimate and warm venue dedicated to jazz. Known for its hushed atmosphere and live performances, it attracts both local and international musicians. The club, located at 38 rue Saint-Martin, offers regular evenings where improvisation…
Joachim du Bellay’s coffin found under Notre-Dame!
Amazing! The coffin of the poet Joachim Du Bellay was identified in the archaeological excavations carried out under Notre-Dame…
