Clair-obscur - Collection Pinault, Bourse de Commerce (Bilingual Edition)

Catalogue of the exhibition "Clair-obscur" / Light and Shadow, presented at the Bourse de Commerce, Paris (until August 24, 2026).

A reflection on the theme of light and shadow in contemporary art: the materiality of light and the shadowed realms of the unconscious transform our relationship with the visible and the invisible, creating a new visual language that transcends the centuries.

The exhibition takes its title from the famous chiaroscuro technique, which has been a feature of painting since the 16th century, through Mannerism and the Baroque period, as exemplified by the work of Caravaggio, who made particularly extensive use of it.

Its influence is evident in the poetics of Bill Viola, who draws inspiration from the old masters to bring forth, within a slowed-down temporality, bodies emerging from the shadows. Painting, and art as a whole, will thus never cease to combine shadow and light, with certain artists such as Goya, whose legacy still imbues the most contemporary creations with its depth and mystery.

Chiaroscuro is therefore not merely a pictorial technique of the past, but a visual language that spans the centuries and is constantly renewed, revealing the dark side of humanity and the world. It thus sets the tone for a whole swathe of creative work, becoming a renewed visual and symbolic language, a narrative device, a philosophical principle. It expresses both the materiality of light and the shadowed realms of the unconscious, transforming our relationship with the visible and the invisible.

Artists presented :

Frank Bowling (1934)
James Lee Byars (1932-1997)
Bruce Conner (1933-2008)
Trisha Donnelly (1974)
Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985)
Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966)
Robert Gober (1954)
Pierre Huyghe (1962)
Saodat Ismailova (1981)
Laura Lamiel (1943)
Maria Martins (1894-1973)
Bruce Nauman (1941)
Philippe Parreno (1964)
Sigmar Polke (1941-2010)
Carol Rama (1918-2015)
Louis Soutter (1871-1942)
Alina Szapocznikow (1926-1973)
Yves Tanguy (1900-1955)
Wolfgang Tillmans (1968)
Bill Viola (1951-2024)
Danh Vo (1975)
Mary Wigman (1886-1973)