The Easel

17th December 2019

Michel Laclotte with Joachim Pissarro

Joachim Pissarro | The Brooklyn Rail | 11th December 2019

Some say the Louvre is the world’s most important museum. Laclotte, a former director, reflects on his experience and the dilemmas of museum management. Should curators or managers be in control? Why the hostility toward the Louvre’s famous glass pyramid? Should contemporary art be combined with an historical collection? Any regrets? Yes – missed acquisitions. “I am almost more interested in the paintings I didn’t get!”

Pierre Soulages: Beyond black

Deborah Wilk | Christie’s | 18th September 2019

Soulages, a national treasure in France, is getting a rare solo exhibition at the Louvre. His paintings are abstract – exercises in colour, texture and mark making – and for decades done entirely in black. Unlike the New York abstract expressionists,  Soulages doesn’t see his black works as an art ‘endgame’. “There is no progress in art, only techniques that are perfected”.  A discussion of the Louvre show is here.

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