View of the exhibition On est tous fous, Ben Vautier, May 2023, Musée International d’Art Naïf Anatole Jakovsky, Photo © François Fernandez I BELIEVE THAT…
View of the exhibition On est tous fous, Ben Vautier, May 2023, Musée International d’Art Naïf Anatole Jakovsky, Photo © François Fernandez I BELIEVE THAT EVERY ARTIST HAS A TOUCH OF MADNESS THEY WOULD LIKE TO EXHIBIT, BUT DARE NOT From the entrance lobby, the tone is set. Ben’s paintings engage in a “dialogue” here and there with pieces from Anatole Jakovsky’s original collection, reflecting an intellectual ferment that characterises both the host and the invited artist. Pure coincidence: Ben was present at the opening of the museum 40 years ago! There is no introductory wall label at the entrance. Ben, quite freely, has written this sentence there in a cursive hand, recognisable among so many others, a light hand guided by his creative “genius” and sometimes in interaction with the museum’s visitors, who are both amused and dumbfounded. The installation took three months, and some of the works were made on site. It was punctuated by numerous arrangements around furniture meticulously selected by Ben Ben’s universe is thus laid out before us, in a succession of moments which, from his “small ideas” to his “new writings”, passing through “sculptures”, “photography”, “time” and “death”, compose a kaleidoscope of his most recent works”. A small lounge, a bedroom and its dressing room, a bathtub, a table football table, tables and chairs conducive to conversation, a projection corner, a debating platform, a soundtrack by Erik Satie, a staircase reinterpreted by Ben and named “the psychiatric staircase”. Outside, in the gardens and on the terrace, works by Ben and from his private collection explore the theme of madness and art. His “ring” is ready to host performances. The exhibition will be accompanied by a year-round programme of events, with film screenings, unexpected encounters, performances, evenings of madness and philosophy for a unique and immersive experience, and guests who will take over the villa as well as the gardens. This exhibition is made possible with the support of La Poste, which will issue a stamp for the occasion and will set up a mail art space within the museum for the entire duration of the exhibition. Exhibition installation - Ben Vautier On est tous fous - Musée International d'Art Naïf Anatole Jakovsky Video © Evan Bourgeau Watch the video
