In collaboration with the Regional Fund for Contemporary Art Franche-Comté (Frac)
Common practice in all eras, quotation is widely used in the world of contemporary art, testifying to the visceral need to measure oneself, most often by summoning the art of another. Establishing a creative tension with the work cited, the artist thus highlights his own singularity by provoking comparison. Acts of variation, appropriation, exploitation, transformation, incorporation of artistic motifs, styles and genres, the art of quotation appeals to memory, and renews the viewer’s own experience of works. The result of a first collaboration between the Pôle Courbet and the Frac Franche-Comté, this exhibition offers a sensitive bridge between contemporary and ancient art. Having made the punctual choice of the quotation, the painters, sculptors, plasticians, videographers, presented here have forged a privileged and affective relationship with the work of another. Their meeting highlights some discrepancies with the initial work, especially medium and techniques, thus upsetting and renewing conventions. A unique dialogue emerges through the ages and the arts.