75 years of friendship at Céret Art Gallery
with Ellen Turner Hall
Friendship is the theme of the latest exhibition at the museum of modern art at Céret. To mark its 75th anniversary, the museum has gathered over sixty works of art which represent a variety of artists from all over the world.
The adventure started in 1950 with Pierre Brune who called on his fellow artists to donate works to the first home of the collection in a small house in the centre of Céret. In the 1980s I remember climbing the stairs to the first floor and finding myself in a room surrounded by Picasso drawings of the artist and his models. Many of the paintings featured the artists’ handwritten dedications to the museum.
Today you can relive the history of art in the 20th century from its beginnings with Picasso, Matisse and Chagall to the Supports/Surfaces movement lead by Bioulès and Viallat. Notable are: a drawing by Cocteau “Tête d’homme” (1949) which gives “connecting the dots” a new meaning, Marc Janson’s abstract “Tous les couteaux du vent” (1971) which will resonate with whomever has lived through days of unrelenting Tramontane and “Four horizons” (1989) by Shirley Jaffe whose flair for colour and form evokes Matisse’s joyful cut-outs.
Two interactive installations steal the show. “Du simple au double” by Toni Grand, conceived for the museum in 1993, is composed of 17 giant polyester cylinders. An adventure playground comes to mind, although while you are encouraged to walk among them, crawling inside and rolling around is not part of the program, alas!
As you enter the room containing Tom Carr’s “Passage à Céret” photographs of the local countryside are projected onto the four walls. A series of mirrors “capture” you and place you in the shifting landscape. Your reflection in space as you move through the room “creates” the work. The experience is both playful and profound, reminiscent of Machado’s “the road is made by walking”.
Plunge in and walk around. Make yourself at home. After all, you are among friends.
75 years of friendship runs from 12 April to 16 November 2025.
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Friday 27th September 201
