ARTISTS
The Temptations of Pierre Molinier
Pierre Moliner - the man and the painter, the genius and the pervert, the 'lesbienne' and the guns lover - is not an easy figure to pin down. Existing on the margins of conventional society, he lived a life defined by excess and hedonism. At the age of 50 he raised his 'premature tomb', reading on its cross: 'Here lies Pierre Molinier - born on 13 April 1900 - died around 1950 - He was a man without morals - He didn't give a f*** of glory and honour - Useless to pray for him.'
This exhibition presents a selection of more than 50 of his groundbreaking photographs, drawings and paintings, dating from 1952 onwards. It was at this time that Molinier moved towards a more 'magical' style of art, a style that sought to bring to the surface unconscious desires and erotic drives and subsequently captured the attention of Andr茅 Br茅ton, the founder of Surrealism. Breton became an avid supporter of his work and organised Molinier's first exhibition L'脡toile Scell茅e, in 1956, which established his reputation.
Molinier's fascination with the body and the erotic manifested itself through his carefully staged photographic portraits and self-portraits. Whilst his paintings and drawings depicted female characters in vertiginous, dark backgrounds, in his photographs he adopted a more joyful approach, reshaping his and his model's appearances through doll's masks, clothing, accessories, and S&M paraphernalia. Cross-dressing was, for Molinier, the preferred method of reshaping his own appearance, and this exhibition will present a collection of these self-portraits.
Pierre Moliner - the man and the painter, the genius and the pervert, the 'lesbienne' and the guns lover - is not an easy figure to pin down. Existing on the margins of conventional society, he lived a life defined by excess and hedonism. At the age of 50 he raised his 'premature tomb', reading on its cross: 'Here lies Pierre Molinier - born on 13 April 1900 - died around 1950 - He was a man without morals - He didn't give a f*** of glory and honour - Useless to pray for him.'
This exhibition presents a selection of more than 50 of his groundbreaking photographs, drawings and paintings, dating from 1952 onwards. It was at this time that Molinier moved towards a more 'magical' style of art, a style that sought to bring to the surface unconscious desires and erotic drives and subsequently captured the attention of Andr茅 Br茅ton, the founder of Surrealism. Breton became an avid supporter of his work and organised Molinier's first exhibition L'脡toile Scell茅e, in 1956, which established his reputation.
Molinier's fascination with the body and the erotic manifested itself through his carefully staged photographic portraits and self-portraits. Whilst his paintings and drawings depicted female characters in vertiginous, dark backgrounds, in his photographs he adopted a more joyful approach, reshaping his and his model's appearances through doll's masks, clothing, accessories, and S&M paraphernalia. Cross-dressing was, for Molinier, the preferred method of reshaping his own appearance, and this exhibition will present a collection of these self-portraits.
Artists on show
