Marked in his childhood by the Shoah, the artist Christian Boltanski lost his bet with death: he died on Wednesday at the age of 76.
All his life, he has worked on absence, disappearance and universal concern in the face of death.
Here is his journey through some emblematic works.
The D family album 1939-1964
(1971)
Christian Boltanski,
L'Album de la famille D., 1939-1964
, (1971) Yves Bresson / ADAGP
The artist gathers in chronological order black and white photos of the family of one of his friends.
After having sought to identify the singular history of this lineage, Christian Boltanski understands that these pictures do not teach anything about the deep identity of each of its members.
The album could be that of any household: snapshots on a beach, ball games, a mother and her child ... Photography is only an illusion, it has no power to preserve the memory of his subjects and does not keep death at bay.
This thesis will guide many of his research.
The Archives of CB 1965-1988
(1989)
The archives of Christian Boltanski 1965-1988
(1989) Philippe Migeat / Adgp Paris
With this great project, the artist wants to "
keep track of all the moments of our life and of all the objects that have come into contact with us
".
To do this, he assembles 646 more or less rusted tin biscuit boxes, forming piles three meters high, lit by simple desk lamps.
Inside these boxes, hundreds of photos and documents that Boltanski found in his studio.
It is his entire life as an artist that is recorded there but hidden from the view of the visitor, as inside his memory.
In 2001, he took up this theme of personal archives with “
La vie impossible
”, a set of 20 showcases in which documents are amassed, this time presented in view of the spectators.
Ultimate work
(2009)
In 2009, the artist met a Tasmanian collector who wanted to buy his ashes from him.
Instead, Boltanski suggested that he buy his life in annuity, his “
ultimate work
”.
Since then, four cameras have filmed his studio in Malakoff, on the outskirts of Paris, night and day.
The images are stored on DVDs and the collector cannot dispose of them during the artist's lifetime.
As early as 1969, "
I wrote that I wanted to put my life in a box to try to keep it,
" he explains.
"
Again, it's the idea of trying to save life knowing it's impossible
."
Professional player David Walsh calculated that the life annuity would be financially attractive for him for the first eight years.
Bet failed.
People
(2010)
Under the nave of the Grand Palais, Christian Boltanski presented in 2010 a monumental installation that evokes the Shoah without directly referring to it.
The gripper of a crane tirelessly picks up clothes pulled from a pile of fifteen meters and releases them at random.
On the ground, 69 “
squares
” covered with clothing spread out like so many tombstones.
The sound, very loud, animates the icy atmosphere of heartbeats collected by the artist from around the world.
The visitor, guided by mediators, is immersed in the gigantic work according to the visual artist's wish.
He is no longer a mere spectator.
Chance
(2011)
In 2011, he represented France at the Venice Biennale with
Chance
, playing on the double meaning of the word (chance / luck). In an impressive industrial device similar to a printing press, including the din, he installs a long rolling ribbon adorned with hundreds of infant faces. Periodically, a doorbell rings: the ribbon stops on a face which is then displayed on a monitor. “
We are all the result of chance: the fruit of the moment our parents threw themselves on each other. If they had made love three seconds ago you wouldn't be here
», He explains. Christian Boltanski offers a reflection on life, but also on death and memory. This genius left a lasting mark in the world of contemporary art as evidenced by the many tributes paid to him upon the announcement of his death.