CALDER | PROUVÉ

Following the first selection of works presented at Gagosian Gallery Le Bourget (until November 2nd), the exhibition continues: Galerie Patrick Seguin, in collaboration with Gagosian Gallery, will present within its redesigned Parisian space, the iconic creations of Jean Prouvé engaged with Alexander Calder’s sculptures. A catalogue illustrating both exhibitions will be published for this occasion. Over the past ten years the various collaborations between Larry Gagosian and Patrick Seguin have enabled them to explore many important figures in contemporary art and architecture at their respective gallery spaces. Guided by common passions, and after numerous exchanges, the idea behind CALDER⎪PROUVÉ seemed evident: to realize, for the first time, dual exhibitions that bear witness to the artistic dialogue between the works of Alexander Calder and Jean Prouvé, two great modern innovators of the twentieth century, who were also friends. In their respective processes—one as an artist, the other as a designer—Calder and Prouvé mastered the techniques of manipulating metal into dynamic form. With steel and aluminum as their primary mediums, they molded the materials into objects and structures that are both light and monumental. They met in the early 1950s and corresponded regularly, exchanging ideas on architecture and sculpture. In 1958, the two collaborated on the construction of the steel base of La Spirale, a huge standing mobile that Calder was commissioned to produce by UNESCO for its headquarters in Paris, which remains in place to this day. Gagosian Gallery Le Bourget and Galerie Patrick Seguin were both redesigned by Jean Nouvel. Preserving the specificities of each building, Nouvel was able to enhance the exceptional qualities of each space. The soaring volumes of Gagosian Le Bourget, a former aircraft hangar, and the industrial character of Galerie Patrick Seguin provide ideal settings for the broad range and scale of works that comprise CALDER⎪PROUVÉ. Brought together in many stunning combinations in this unprecedented dual exhibition, the works of Calder and Prouvé, with their Universalist aspiration and enduring appeal, embody the soul of modernist vision.