Four artworks by Henry Darger at the Musée d'Art Moderne (Paris)

29 may thru 11 october 2015: The Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris is devoting an exhibition to a 20th-century legend: Henry Darger (1892-1973). Complemented by loans from international institutions, the exhibition Henry Darger: xxx recreates the imaginary world of an artist now recognised as one of the major representatives of Outsider Art. Self-taught and long a marginal figure on the art scene, Darger created a unique personal realm, a strangely singular mix of historical narrative and American popular culture.

This exhibition embraces the different segments of an oeuvre discovered only a few months before Darger's death: large, double-sided narrative panels, flags, portraits and the masterpiece The Battle of Calverhine, on show for the first time in France. Three metres long, this work depicts the opening battle in Darger's saga of a revolt by enslaved children.

Darger's life and work have inspired generations of artists, among them the Chapman brothers, Paul Chan and Peter Coffin, as well as contemporary authors like Jesse Kellerman (The Genius) and Xavier Mauméjean (American Gothic): testimony to the enduring fascination he exerts.

The book accompanying the exhibition will contain essays on Darger's life and work, personal tributes and a dictionary that serves as a guide to his complex mythology.

Henry Darger is organised with the help of loans from MoMA in New York, the Collection de l’Art Brut in Lausanne and various private collections.

Musée d'art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
11 avenue du Président Wilson
75116 Paris
France
http://www.mam.paris.fr

 

Publish Date: 29.05.2015