carole benzaken winner of the marcel duchamp prize

Centre Pompidou
Direction
de la Communication
75191 Paris cedex 4
directeur
Jean-Pierre Biron
attachée de presse
Anne-Marie Pereira
téléphone
CAROLE BENZAKEN WINNER OF
THE MARCEL DUCHAMP PRIZE 2004
8 DECEMBER 2004 – 7 FEBRUARY 2005
ESPACE 315, LEVEL 1
00 33 01 44 78 40 69
télécopie
00 33 01 44 78 13 02
e-mail
[email protected]
From 8 December 2004 – 7 February 2005 and in partnership with the
Association for the International Dissemination of French Art (ADIAF),
the Centre Pompidou is presenting the fourth Marcel Duchamp Prize.
This year's winner is Carole Benzaken. Focused on the creative scene
in France, the Prize is awarded by a jury made up of well-known figures
from the art world, collectors and curators.
Following the winners of the first three Prizes – Thomas Hirshhorn,
Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster and Mathieu Mercier – Carole Benzaken
is the creator of a huge set of works bearing the umbrella title
"Search for the New Land" (2004). The work will be on show in the
Centre Pompidou's new Espace 315 exhibition area.
The jury for this year's Marcel Duchamp Prize stressed the originality of Carole Benzaken's
pictorial œuvre. Born in Grenoble, this contemporary artist has shown widely in galleries
and museums in Europe and the United States. While primarily a painter, she works in
a similar vein to a new generation of artists – already recipients of the Marcel Duchamp
Prize – with an interest in multimedia techniques.
Curator: Jean-Pierre Bordaz
curator at the Centre Pompidou
page 2
THE ARTIST
Carole Benzaken lived and worked for seven years in the Los Angeles neighbourhood that was
the scene of the 1993 race riots.
Now living in France, she divides her time between the city and the country, considering the latter
a new visual experience.
In the "Cher Peintre" exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in 2002, she created a site-specific ceramic
floor, affirming her commitment both to painting and to other contemporary art techniques.
THE PROJECT
As winner of the Marcel Duchamp Prize, Carole Benzaken has been given the opportunity to create
an original work especially for Espace 315, following in the footsteps of the young artists who have
already used this contemporary art space.
For her, painting is the artistic activity par excellence, and one she practises on a variety of scales
and with a flamboyance of colour that ensure maximum use of space.
The presence among the paintings of two large video projections and thirty small screens is what
gives this project its full impact. Set in light boxes arranged in kind of maze, drawings on tracing
paper give a broken rhythm to the exhibition as a whole. In addition, small, intimist paintings conducive
to remembrance and intuitive creation of narrative stand in contrast to the monumental character
of the exhibition space.
In search of thematic continuity, Carole Benzaken opts simultaneously for overlays of other images
with a personal meaning for her.
This receptive, non-hierarchic visual field mingles the furtive glance and the fleeting impression with
untrammelled observation of reality. Thus she accompanies her evocation of cities and landscapes
with movement and human activity.
Here she has found the ideal medium for her personal language.
These powerful images use a range of techniques, the resultant variety leading to further visual
exploration. Her perception of a wide range of subject matter – advertising, for example, and leisure
activities – provides a distinctive reading of the reality of today's society.
As a true contemporary artist closely attuned to the climate of her time, Carole Benzaken is a skilled
portrayer of present-day culture.
At a time when the work of film and video artists is in close contact with the real world, Carole Benzaken
offers a pictorial system that quite simply confronts that world.
page 3
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Grenoble in 1964, Carole Benzaken lives and works between Paris and Los Angeles.
TRAINING
1985-90 Studies at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris. Graduates in 1990.
PERSONAL EXHIBITIONS
2004
Centre Pompidou, Paris
Candide Oskyldig Innocent, Skarstedt Gallery, Stockholm
Joslyn Center, Los Angeles
2003
Faggionato Gallery, London
2002
Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris
2000
INMO Gallery, Los Angeles
1999
Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris
CAPC, Museum of Contemporary Art, Bordeaux
1996
Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris
1995
Chapelle Saint-Jacques, Saint-Gaudens, France
Galerie de l'Ecole, Villa Arson, Nice
1994
Fondation Cartier, Paris
1993
Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris
Spazio d'Arte, Serre di Rapolano, Italy
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2004
"Moving Picture Desire", Contemporary Art Exhibition, Busan Biennale, Korea
2002-03 "Cher peintre, peins moi" ("Lieber Maler, Maler Mir"), Centre Pompidou,
then the Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt and the Vienna Kunsthalle
2000
Group Show, Annina Nosei Gallery, New York
Christie's Paris, "Des arts plastiques…à la mode": encounters with young French artists
"One Night Stand", curator Brian Olson, Los Angeles
"Spurgeon", Santa Anna, California
1999
"Primitive Passion", Palais des Papes, Avignon, with Jean Hélion, Gérard Gasiorowski,
Yves Oppenheim, Jean-Pierre Bertrand. Curators: Didier Ottinger and Dominique Vingtain
"Peindre la Peinture", Hanlim Art Museum, Seoul
"One Night Stand", curator Brian Olson, Park Plaza Lodge Hotel, Los Angeles
Ellen Kim Murphy Gallery, with Ann Page and Ruth Trotter, Santa Monica, California
"L'Oeil et l'Esprit": Benzaken, Absalon, Martin Tupper, Thierry Kuntzel, Ming.
Curator: Albert Pacquement, travelling exhibition, Japan
"Variétés", Villa Saint-Clair, Sète, France. Curator: Bernard Marcadé
1997
"Figures et paysages", a choice of paintings by Yves Michaud from the FRAC Ile-de-France
collection: Centre Rhénan d'Art Contemporain d'Alsace
1996
Whanki Museum, Seoul
"Kingdom of Flora", Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Los Angeles
1995
"Bleu pour les filles", Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris
1994
"50 ans du Monde", Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris
"Fondation Cartier: a collection", National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul
page 4
1993
1991
1990
1989
Salon de Montrouge, Paris Jeune Peinture
Salon de Montrouge, Paris, Jeune Peinture
"Germinations VI", Ludwig Forum, Aachen, Germany
"KX Kunst Auf Kampnagel", Hamburg, Germany
Grancia d'Argento, Serre de Rapolano, Italy
PRIZES, GRANTS
2004
4th Marcel Duchamp Prize
1997-98 Studio-Residency, Los Angeles, AAFA grant
1994-95 Studio-Residency, Villa Arson, Nice
1991
Albert Rocheron Prize, ENSBA
TEACHING
Oct. 98 – Sept 01 Guest teacher, Pasadena Art Center, California
Nov. 95 – Feb. 96 Guest teacher, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS AND MUSEUMS
Centre Pompidou, Paris
Fonds National d'Art Contemporain
Fonds Régional d'Art Contemporain, Midi-Pyrénées
Fondation Cartier, Paris
Fonds Régional d'Art Contemporain, Ile-de-France
Fonds Régional d'Art Contemporain, Auvergne
PUBLIC COMMISSIONS
Stained glass windows for the church of St Sulpice,
Varennes-Jarcy 2002
ARTIST'S BOOK
Edition d'Art, Candide Item, Paris
page 5
BIBLIOGRAPHY
EXHIBITION CATALOGUES
• "Cher Peintre…Lieber Maler…Dear Painter", Figurative Paintings since the Last Picabia,
Centre Pompidou, Kunsthalle Vienna, Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, 2002
• "Primitive Passion", Palais des Papes, Avignon, 1999
• CAPC – Musée d'Art Contemporain, Bordeaux, 1999
• "Peindre la Peinture", Hanlim Art Museum, Seoul, 1999
• "L'Oeil et l'Esprit", curator Alfred Pacquement, travelling exhibition, Japan, 1998
• Whanki Prize Exhibition, catalogue, May 1996
• Villa Arson, exhibition catalogue, 1995, text by Ann Hindry
• "Fondation Cartier, a Collection", exhibition catalogue, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul
CRITICAL WORKS
• Vitamin P, New Perspectives in Painting, Phaidon, 2002
• Anne-Marie Charbonneaux and Norbert Hilaire (Eds.), Architecture de lumière, vitraux d'artistes,
Marval, 2000
• Yves Michaud and Catherine Panchout, Ateliers au féminin, Au même titre, 1999
• Jacqueline Lichtenstein, La Fleur Dénaturée, Grégoire Gardette, 1995
CD-ROM
L'art contemporain français, Génération 2000
page 6
USEFUL INFORMATION
Exhibition dates: 8 December 2004 – 7 February 2005
Daily except Tuesdays, 11:00 – 21:00
Ticket office closes at 20:00
Espace 315, Level 1
Entry with the Day at the Pompidou Pass
Price: 10 euros, concessions 8 euros
Or with a ticket for the Musée National d'Art Moderne
Price: 7 euros, concessions 5 euros
Admission free for holders of the Centre Pompidou Annual Pass
New service on the Website www.centrepompidou.fr
Instant entry with the Day at the Pompidou Pass, printable at home
Catalogue published by Editions du Centre Pompidou
Series Espace 315
Editor in chief: Françoise Bertaux
Design: Carole Benzaken
17 x 23 cm, 80 pages, 60 illustrations in colour
Bilingual French / English
Price: 18 euros
Catalogue ADIAF
Un, Deux, Trois… Quatre Editions
22 x 27 cm, 48 pages
Bilingual French / English
Price: 20 euros
Further information: www.centrepompidou.fr
www.adiaf.com
www.creativtv.net
www.galerie-obadia.com
page 7
THE MARCEL DUCHAMP PRIZE
2004 – ARTISTS NOMINATED
VALÉRIE BELIN
photography
CAROLE BENZAKEN
painting
PHILIPPE COGNÉE
painting
RICHARD FAUGUET
sculpture, installations
PHILIPPE RAMETTE
photography, installations
JURY 2004
ALFRED PACQUEMENT, chairman, director of the Centre Pompidou, Musée National d'Art Moderne – Paris
FRANCISCO CAPELO, collector – Portugal
GILLES FUCHS, collector, president of ADIAF – Paris
ANTOINE DE GALBERT, collector – Paris
JACQUELINE MATISSE-MONNIER, artist, Paris
DIRK SNAUWAERT, director, Institute of Contemporary Art, Villeurbanne – Belgium
HARALD SZEEMANN, exhibition curator, former curator Kunsthaus Zurich – Switzerland
FRANCE'S FIRST COLLECTORS' PRIZE
A major initiative in terms of support for the French art scene, the Marcel Duchamp Prize was founded
in 2000 by the Association for the International Dissemination of French Art (ADIAF), a non-profit body
that is now the leading French association for private collectors and lovers of contemporary art.
Backed by French businesses and foreign companies established in France, ADIAF exists to help
promote French art in the international context. This commitment finds expression in the organisation
of exhibitions in France and abroad, publication of catalogues, participation in conferences – and,
of course, the Marcel Duchamp Prize, France's first collectors' prize.
PRIVATE INITIATIVE, PUBLIC BACKING
The Marcel Duchamp Prize is organised in partnership with the Centre Pompidou. This combination of
private initiative and public backing is providing a new generation of artists with a means of achieving
recognition and working towards international status.
Bearing the name of a French artist regarded as the pioneer of contemporary art, the Marcel Duchamp
Prize seeks to foster all the new art forms fuelling the contemporary scene. Its goal is to confirm
the reputation of an artist living in France, representative of his or her generation and working in the
visual arts.
CONNOISSEURS' CHOICE, INTERNATIONAL ENDORSEMENT
The distinctive character of the Marcel Duchamp Prize lies in the selection process: the list of nominees
is drawn up by members of the ADIAF selection committee – art lovers, not art professionals.
The international jury comprises experts whose opinions carry real weight in the contemporary art field:
curators, critics and French and foreign collectors. The result is a high profile for the Marcel Duchamp
Prize and its winner.
page 8
HOW THE MARCEL DUCHAMP PRIZE WORKS
CANDIDATES
The Marcel Duchamp Prize is awarded to an artist living in France. All forms of artistic expression
and all visual art disciplines are covered: painting, sculpture, installations, photography, video, etc.
ENDOWMENT
The winner receives a prize of 35,000 euros.
EXHIBITION
The winning artist is invited to create an original work for two months' exhibition at the Centre
Pompidou's Espace 315.
CATALOGUE
Each Marcel Duchamp Prize is accompanied by a catalogue, produced by ADIAF and devoted to the
winner and the other nominees. Editions du Centre Pompidou publish a monograph on the winning artist.
BACKING FROM BUSINESS PATRONS
LOMBARD ODIER DARIER HENTSCH
Founded in 1796, Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch & Co. is Geneva's oldest private banking concern and
one of the largest in Switzerland and Europe. Working on the main international money markets, the
group offers private and institutional clients wide-ranging advice on asset management, financial products
and specialised services. With more than two centuries' experience, Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch
has long been committed to development projects in the fields of culture, education and social
responsibility. Concerned as we are that future generations should enjoy a rich, ongoing heritage,
we are particularly interested in supporting the artists of tomorrow. The Marcel Duchamp Prize
is part of this strategy: by encouraging young creative people on the French scene, it offers talented
artists an opportunity for increased visibility and international status. This is why we have chosen
to associate ourselves with the Prize, jointly organised since 2000 by the Association for the International
Dissemination of French Art (ADIAF) and the Centre Pompidou.
TAJAN
"TAJAN decided to be part of the Marcel Duchamp Prize first and foremost because the venture was
initiated by ADIAF, a body comprising many collectors and art lovers. This provides a vital link between
public institutions and the collectors without whom contemporary art would lack a guarantee of
ongoing development. The strong point of this initiative is that it confirms a determination to give the
work of artists living in France a level of visibility that has been too often lacking since the Second
World War. The selection of candidates testifies to a level of exigency that will, I am sure, very soon
guarantee equal status with the Turner Prize, its illustrious older brother from over the Channel.
Furthermore, the fact that winners are granted an exhibition at the Centre Pompidou gives the event
real credibility and offers laureates the best showcase there is." — François Tajan
CREATIVTV.NET
The Marcel Duchamp Prize is also presented on broadband video on the Internet, with CreativTV,
the online visual arts channel. A Marcel Duchamp Prize partner for several years now, CreativTV
invites viewers to meet the prizewinner via a multimedia portrait including a filmed interview, a photo
report and critical and documentary texts.