Somewhere in the night, the people dance: Raphaël Barontini

VISIT: SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT, THE PEOPLE DANC. RAPHAËL BARONTINI
Wednesday, May 7, 1 pm
Palais de Tokyo
Paris - 75116
With Diane de Beauvais, curator of the exhibition
Artist Raphaël Barontini reinterprets history, particularly in Africa and the Caribbean, with lively, moving narratives that combine contemporary techniques with archives from the past. He questions the figuration and tradition of classical painting with a selection of recent works or those created especially for his exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo. Paintings, costumes and textiles are presented in an original scenography inspired by the architecture of the Palais Sans Souci in Haiti, and accompanied by a sound work by poet and music producer Mike Ladd. The exhibition unveils a generous, all-encompassing narrative, blending the real and the fictional, bringing together the artist's different areas of work and offering a renewal of the imaginary. The title of the exhibition, Quelque part dans la nuit, le peuple danse, is inspired by an extract from Aimé Césaire's play La tragédie du roi Christophe. Published in 1963, it explores the challenges faced by the Haitian people in building a new nation after the struggle against slavery and French colonization in the late 18th century. It highlights the complex figure of Henri Christophe, general of the Haitian revolution and self-proclaimed king, who created the Palais Sans Souci. The title also evokes the joy that the power of the collective can bring to all cultures.



VISIT: ALL LÉGER! WITH NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE, YVES KLEIN, MARTIAL RAYSSE, KEITH HARING…
Monday, May 12, 1 pm
Musée du Luxembourg
Paris - 75006
With Sophie Duplaix, conservatrice en chef des collections contemporaines
Thanks to an unprecedented partnership between two major collections on the Côte d'Azur, works by Niki de Saint Phalle, Arman, Yves Klein, Raymond Hains, Martial Raysse and César come face to face with the plastic innovations of Fernand Léger, one of the pioneers of the 20th century avant-garde. Alongside these leading representatives of New Realism, works by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and, later, Keith Haring, illustrate the early artistic exchanges between the European and American scenes. The exhibition, featuring almost 100 works, takes a playful, creative approach to a number of themes: the misappropriation of objects, the representation of the body and leisure activities, and the place of art in public spaces. Through powerful artistic gestures, the artists elevate elements captured in their most banal reality to the status of works of art. They merge art and life, revealing to the viewer the poetic beauty of our everyday lives.