L'album photographique de Christian Boltanski 1948-1956

Taking on the fictional role of ethnographer, he created fake biographies that connect individual and collective experiences. DIY, cut-outs, stacked cardboard or rusty metal boxes, piles of clothes, shadow and light and projected images are among the resources he drew on to make his emotive installations, some temporary. The allusion to historical tragedies is transcended by a wider consideration of the fragility of human life. In 1972 Boltanski took part in Harald Szeemann’s legendary Documenta 5 exhibition, which developed the idea of individual mythology. Boltanski represented France at the 2011 Venice Biennale.

He follows the twisting paths of individual and collective destinies using personal and impersonal elements of great evocative power – photographs, newspapers, archives, clothes, designing installations with formal and emotional intensity. The theme of memory and its corollary, an obsession with avoiding forgetfulness and oblivion, is central to his vision, as is the ability to invent legends and myths. 

Christian Boltanski was born in Paris (France) in 1944. He lives and works in Malakoff, in the South‑West of Paris. In 2018, his solo exhibitions took place in Shanghai (China), Jerusalem (Israel), Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Tokyo (Japan), Edinburgh (UK), Valencia (Spain) and Monterrey (Mexico). He also participated in group exhibitions in international institutions such as The Jewish Museum (New York, USA), the Pinchuk Art Centre (Kyiv, Ukraine), The Mori Art Museum (Tokyo, Japan)… He took over the 2010 edition of Monumenta in Paris (France) and represented France at the Venice Biennale in 2011. He received, among other prestigious prizes, the Kunstpreis from Nord/LB, Braunschweig in 2001 and the Praemium Imperiale Award from the Japan Art Association in 2006.