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‘Striptease’ at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lyon, Rhône-Alpes
The artist Ben Vautier, known simply as ‘Ben’ has a fascinating, eclectic exhibition of his life’s work here at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lyon. This special exhibition on 3 floors runs from March 3rd to July 11th 2010.
It is an impressive collection of his text-based paintings, dadaist sculptures and large installations.
Well worth a visit!
Situated within Lyon’s Cité Internationale, by the banks of the Rhone and near the park Tete d’Or, the Musée d’Art Contemporain is at the heart of a scenic and pleasant area within the boundaries of France’s remarkable second city.
In 1984, when the museum was located within the Musée des Beaux Arts de Lyon, a particular interest in the production of art works began.
These works, new project for the artist or continuation of an earlier concept, were produced in the museum, for the museum, in direct collaboration with the artist and became a part of the museum’s collection.
This gave an opportunity to artists to experiment with form, idea and dimension, and to create work in harmony with the space itself.
The museum’s politics of production imposed upon the architect to create an interieur space which could be entirely modified, in order to cater for the demands of the numerous artists using the space as well as the diverse exhibition spaces designed by the curators.
Ben Vautier
Ben Vautier (born on July 18, 1935 in Naples, Italy), also known simply as Ben, is a French artist.
Vautier lives and works in Nice, where he ran a record shop called Magazin between 1958 and 1973.
He discovered Yves Klein and the Nouveau Réalisme in the 1950s, but he became quickly interested in the French dada artist Marcel Duchamp, the music of John Cage and joined the Fluxus artistic movement in the 1960s.
In 1959, Vautier founded the journal Ben Dieu. In 1960, he had his first one-man show, Rien et tout in Laboratoire 32.
He is also active in Mail-Art and is mostly known for his text-based paintings; an example of the latter is his work “L’art est inutile. Rentrez chez vous” (Art is Useless, Go Home).
He has long defended the rights of minorities in all countries, and he has been influenced by the theories of François Fontan about ethnism. For example, he has defended the Occitan language (south of France), which is on the verge of extinction because speakers are shifting to French.
Anti-art is a loosely-used term applied to an array of concepts and attitudes that reject prior definitions of art and question art in general.
Anti-art tends to conduct this questioning and rejection from the vantage point of art. The term is associated with the Dada movement and is generally accepted as attributable to Marcel Duchamp pre-World War I.
Fluxus Movement 1960-1965
The Fluxus movement emerged in New York in the 60’s, moving to Europe, and eventually to Japan.
The movement encompassed a new aesthetic that had already appeared on three continents. That aesthetic encompasses a reductive gesturality, part Dada, part Bauhaus and part Zen, and presumes that all media and all artistic disciplines are fair game for combination and fusion. Fluxus presaged avant-garde developments over the last 40 years.
Fluxus objects and performances are characterized by minimalist but often expansive gestures based in scientific, philosophical, sociological, or other extra-artistic ideas and leavened with burlesque.
Yoko Ono is the best-known individual associated with Fluxus, but many artists have associated themselves with Fluxus since its emergence. In the ’60s, when the Fluxus movement was most active, artists all over the globe worked in concert with a spontaneously generated but carefully maintained Fluxus network.
Since then, Fluxus has endured not so much as a movement but as a sensibility–a way of fusing certain radical social attitudes with ever–evolving aesthetic practices.
Initially received as little more than an international network of pranksters, the admittedly playful artists of Fluxus were, and remain, a network of radical visionaries who have sought to change political and social, as well as aesthetic, perception.
Musée d’art Contemporain, Lyon
Part 4: Our Man from the Roannais in Shakespeare’s Country! by Brian Franklin
We decided to push the boat out a bit, and booked into the magnificent Lygon Arms.
After a great night’s sleep, and an English breakfast inside us we headed off to Stratford.
Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, steeped in culture and history, is set in the beautiful rural Warwickshire countryside, on the banks of the river Avon, it is one of the most important tourist destinations in the UK.
A literary man, Jean-Marc has read quite a bit of Shakespeare (unusual for a Frenchman from the Roannais!), so it was a delight for him to visit this famous part of England. We had a good wander, and visited Shakespeare’s original house, and the church where he is laid to rest. No chance of seeing any of his plays being performed, I’m afraid. Although when we popped into a speciality cheese shop we found that they new all about Maison Mons cheeses from the Roannais, and even had some of their excellent quality products on display – it’s a very small world!
Part 5 of “Our Man from the Roannais” series will continue next with our stops at famous Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, and the amazing Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Part 3: Our Man from the Roannais in The Wye Valley! by Brian Franklin
From the academic and architectural wonders of Oxford travelling to an alternative natural wonder of the Royal Forest of Dean in the beautiful Wye Valley was almost a mental relief, if not a physical one.
Jean-Marc and I had planned a 3-day sojourn in this fascinating corner of England, near to the Welsh border with some long-distance country-walking thrown in (Jean-Marc loves his regular randonnées in France!)
So, what about the Royal Forest of Dean in the Wye Valley!?
The lower Wye Valley journeys from in the north; Hereford the historic capital of the Wye Valley in the County of Herefordshire through the County of Gloucestershire to Chepstow in the Welsh County of Monmouthshire, separating the borders between England and Wales.
The natural beauty of the area is unrivalled, with each season bringing its own delights. From the spring and summer greenery to the magical feeling of autumn mists and snow capped hills.
Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1971, the beauty of the area has been attracting visitors for centuries. The Wye Valley with the most breathtaking natural scenery in Britain combines a unique blend of Welsh and English influences.Fought over for centuries by the English and the Welsh and many more before them has awesome castles around every bend and twist in the River Wye, hawks soaring over the fields and forests, and secret places along every stream. bustling market towns, fresh-farm produce, an artisan tradition, generous hospitality, and sunshine and showers,the Wye Valley is a captivating experience that treats the senses at any time of year.
The Wye Valley is steeped in rich industrial heritage, and near the town of Abergavenny lies the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape World Heritage Site where visitors can go underground with a miner and uncover real stories about people from the past.
In Newport there is an extensive public art trail which includes statues and mosaic murals commemorating the Chartists fight for democracy. As well as this, there is also the Nelson Museum in Monmouth which has one of the worlds best collections about Britain’s most famous admiral, and even includes his fake glass eye!
Jean-Marc and I headed for Gloucester, and eventually a small, sleepy village called Blackeney where we found the slightly bizarre, ‘Old Nibley Farmhouse’. This became our comfortable residence for two nights.
www.oldnibleyfarmhouse.co.uk – we can definitely recommend it as a great base for exploring the Royal Forest of Dean and The Wye Valley. But… don’t forget to bring your slippers!
Part 4 of “Our Man from the Roannais” series will continue soon with a journey into Shakespeare’s Country!
Part 2: Our Man from the Roannais in Oxford! by Brian Franklin
We continue with the tales of my trails through England with my good French friend, Jean-Marc Dublé. In this Part 2 of ” Our Man from the Roannais in England” we travel from London to the great city of learning – Oxford.
Slap bang in the middle of England, Oxford is a city of enviable fortune: stunning architecture, abundant gardens and riverways, academic excellence and cultural richness. In fact, a far cry from the oxen grazing ground after which it was named, ‘Oxen-ford’.
Today, it boasts 39 prestigious colleges; a University church and a city cathedral; the ancient Bodleian library; Wren’s Sheldonian theatre; and the iconic Radcliffe Camera. Add this to the bevy of prominent museums from the age-old Ashmolean to the oddities of Pitt Rivers, and on a visit to Oxford you may find your itinerary a little overwhelming.
Jean-Marc and I, of course, had to be a little selective – content to experience the ‘flavour’ of Oxford with its traditional and ancient Englishness. The beauty of Oxford was immediate, with the charcteristic splendour of this amazing city the many gargoyles high above gorge themselves on daily.
We strolled through the busy streets and marvelled at the ancient buildings and the incredible architecture, and enjoyed an early spring walk through Merton Field in Christ Church Meadow, along ‘Dead Man’s Walk’ (a medieval funeral walk) through to the Botanic Gardens near the River Cherwell, and up onto Magdalen Bridge. Here we stood looking across at the highly reputable, historic, and beautiful Magdalen College (founded in 1428). We even managed to look into the main quadrangle where many famous, historic figures had walked in years gone by, such as Samuel Pepys.
Returning gradually back to the city, we passed the equally famous colleges of Queens and All Souls’, and then dived down the narrow cobbled street passed Radcliffe Camera, and end up inside the Bodleian Library where there was a special exhibition of ancient illustrated religious books and scrolls. Not necessarily something we would have normally visited, but a fascinating surprise all the same – we spent an hour in the library, though!
We then passed the decorated, sculptured entrance and frontage of Wren’s Sheldonian Theatre.
There is no doubt, you could easily spend a few days or more in this fantastic city, discovering new aspects of its ancient and academic history every minute. Unfortunately we had no more than a few hours, before we had to head off to vistas new.
Our next stop (2-days) would be The Royal Forest of Dean in the Wye Valley.
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Part 3 of “Our Man from the Roannais” series will follow shortly, with our walking adventures, in the remarkable Forest of Dean and stunning Wye Valley.
Summer is on its way at Le Cuvage in the Roannais!
Yes, we can all start looking forward to some more holiday fun in the Roannais. ‘Le Cuvage’, its wooded gardens, and heated swimming pool are already looking good. The magnolia, lilac, and wisteria are all in full bloom, and filling the air with their flowery scents.
Even the swimming pool has awoken from its winter slumbers, and was a wonderful 25 degrees last week. The outside temperature went up to 30 degrees plus. This of course meant that our 9 year old son, Ellis turned back into a frog again, and had a great time in the bath-like waters!
We hope this summer will be as hot and sunny as last year’s, which, of course, was much appreciated by all our holiday guests who had a great time here in the Roannais. In fact, several have became good friends, and are returning again for a second year!
Le Cuvage is a great place, and ideal for a very comfortable base for exploring all that the beautiful Roannais region has got to offer, and there’s alot!
Take a look at our dedicated website: www.purefrancenow, and also have a read through a few of our blogs and news reports for more information and a personal perspective on all aspects of the locale – activities, villages, restaurants, food, wine, cheese, entertainment, chateaux, lakes and country scenery, plus nearby towns and cities to visit.
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