Simon Hantaï. The Centenary Exhibition

Exhibition From 18.05.2022 to 29.08.2022

© Archives Simon Hantaï / Adagp, Paris, 2022 © Fondation Louis Vuitton / David Bordes

To celebrate the centenary of Simon Hantaï’s birth (1922-2008), the Fondation is organising an unprecedented retrospective exhibition, in collaboration with the Hantaï family, curated by Anne Baldassari. It includes more than 130 of Simon Hantaï’s works, many of which have never before been shown, and the majority of which are large format works from 1957 to 2000.

Simultaneously, the Fondation will present "Fugues in Color" exhibition, in which paint is free to escape the limited scope of the canvas.

The starting point for the didactic circuit is the painting Écriture rose (1958 – 1959, which was donated to the government by the artist. Musée national d’art moderne / Pompidou Centre). It goes on to explore the successive periods of his work: Peintures à signes, Monochromes, Mariales, Catamurons, Panses, Meuns, Études, Blancs, Tabulas, Peintures polychromes, Sérigraphies and Laissées, before concluding with the “last workshop”.

Simon Hantaï, Tabula, Meun, 1975

© Archives Simon Hantaï / Adagp, Paris, 2022 © Fondation Louis Vuitton / David Bordes

Hantaï’s works are shown alongside the works of other major artists that had an influence on the artist, including Henri Matisse and Jackson Pollock. Simon Hantaï and the young artists of his entourage in the 1960s at the Cité des Fleurs, Michel Parmentier and Daniel Buren are evoked in the exhibition through confrontations. An unprecedented in situ intervention by Daniel Buren, called "Mur(s) pour Simon, travaux in situ et en six mouvements" and designed as a tribute to Hantaï, is on display.

Curator

Curator and manager of the catalogue: Anne Baldassari

Visiting Tools

The Fondation Louis Vuitton App

Explore the Fondation with the app! Discover the exhibition at your own pace with commentaries on a selection of artworks, and insights from the curators, and anecdotes from Twelvy, the Fondation’s chatbot.

Short Tours

The micro-visits are an opportunity to explore the Fondation and the exhibition "Basquiat x Warhol, Painting Four Hands" in the company of a cultural guide. Discover the secrets of the works and the building by following the guides through the different spaces. No reservation required, free with the exhibition ticket. In French and in English

Twelvy Twelvy

Twelvy, our chatbot, guides you through an interactive tour during your visit of the Fondation.

Summer for families

During the summer, learn more about the exhibitions and the building with short-tours dedicated to families at 2 p.m. everyday. Also, freely enjoy a coloring area with game booklets and colored pencils at level 2.

Fondation Louis Vuitton. The journal #13