04/20/22 - The renovated Parisian space that now houses part of the Pinault Collection is currently exhibiting one of the most renowned Contemporary artists: Charles Ray (Chicago, 1953). Of all the production of this artist, only the sculptures were chosen and these are displayed not only in the circular space on the ground floor but also in the upper galleries. As the work in general is extremely provocative, those most daring pieces were mounted in the rooms on the upper floor and even one of them is exhibited in a closed space with restrictions for minors. The exhibition, then, is extremely controversial because it offers us some extreme visions on the history of Art and popular culture, of morality, of identity conflicts and of racism.

Boy with Frog, by Charles Ray (2009)

Material: painted stainless steel / Measurements: 244 x 75 cm / Weight: 204kg

Pinault Collection

The sculpture of this young man holding a frog in his hands was conceived by the artist for the inauguration of Punta della Dogana, the building in Venice that houses another part of the Pinault Collection. It is a piece destined to be placed in a public space of monumental proportions and it refers to David by Donatello (Italy, 1386-1466) in the figure of the young man who looks absorbed at the frog he is holding. It shares the room with an appropriation in recycled paper of Alessandro Algardi's 17th-century bronze, replicating the naturalism and the Baroque movement. The absence of the cross produces such an effect that this Christ seems to be floating in the room.

Jeff,  by Charles Ray

According to the card, the model for Jeff was a person that the artist found on the street and he placed him on a platform that serves as a seat (a representation reserved in Art History for Gods or iconic people). This anti-hero, whose appearance contrasts with the figures mentioned above, is represented in marble, a material that possibly intends to demonstrate the weight of existence that Jeff carries on his shoulders.

For Young Man, the artist chose the sculptor Ry Rocken as a model, depicting him in stainless steel as an ordinary person, closer to us. However, the brightness of the material causes a certain deformation, approaching abstraction.

Young Man, by Charles King (2012)

Material: stainless steel / Measurements: 180 x 53 x 34 / weight: 658kg

Pinault Collection.

Many other sculptures are part of this exhibition. We have chosen only a few that reflect the variety of materials with which Charles Ray works and the expressiveness with which he imbues his sculptures.