He has loved the game of kings for twenty years.
In order to satisfy this devouring passion, the gallerist Romain Morandi has, during learned wanderings around the world, collected beautiful chess sets, found as far as Saint Petersburg, where he met during a memorable night, - chance always does things well, Boris Spassky junior, the son of the 10th world champion who will go down in history as the great rival and friend of Bobby Fischer.
Today this distinguished chess-loving artist has decided to share his treasure with art lovers by opening an exhibition entitled
Chess Design
which brings together some of the most interesting chess creations of the 20th century.
Read alsoMarcel Duchamp for Dummies
The 32 works of
Chess Design
are therefore waiting to be admired until November 12 at Romain Morandi's new address inaugurated in September, and located at 18 rue Guénégaud (Paris VIe) a stone's throw from the Seine and the Quai Conti so dear to our Immortals.
The gallery owner, who is also a keen art historian, chose the chessboards and pieces by scrupulously following the artistic trends of the 20th century.
Let us quote them without of course being exhaustive: Art Nouveau, Dadaism, surrealism, art deco, constructivism, post-war modernist design, brutalism... and 21st century obliges, deconstructivism .
Evolution chess set, Studio Pierre Cardin, 1968, bronze pieces Romain Morandi Collection
As a real
chess
“failure” that he is, Romain Morandi has brought together some of the big names in contemporary art in his aesthetic circle.
We will recognize, in one-color or two-tone, in red and black, in black and white, in white and green and even in a pink bronze of the most beautiful effect, the most prestigious signatures: Arman, Vasarely, Josef Hartwig, Boris Lacroix, Victor Roman, Takako Saito, Michael Graves... And because we better understand art when it becomes an expression of the passion for acting, this out-of-town gallery owner wanted to accompany these exhibited treasures with furniture, tables and armchairs the way of a small chess room.
Chess set by Zdenek Juda (1897-1975), 1927, in pressed glass.
Roman Morandi collection
The master of the place, who likes to say that if "
the game of chess invites itself into all disciplines, the game itself constitutes a formidable laboratory for creation
", will never refuse to cross swords on its marvelous chessboards.
And it doesn't matter, the victory, the defeat or the draw because Romain Morandi, like Marcel Duchamp, thinks that “
if all artists are not chess players, all chess players are artists.
»
The Romain Morandi gallery, 18 rue Guénégaud in Paris will present the 32 chess works until November 12, 2022. The visitor can also acquire the book
Chess Design,
published by Norma,
304 pages, 350 illustrations, bilingual French and English, €49
