François Morellet, traits d'esprit

François Morellet, Witty Traits - As part of the programme dedicated to the dialogue between architecture and contemporary art. On the occasion of the centenary of François Morellet's birth, the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, in partnership with the Centre Pompidou and the CNAP, presents a unique installation that reveals how the artist transformed architectural space into a playground for contemporary art. The exhibition brings together a selection of around forty works, including three monumental pieces, from the permanent collections. It highlights Morellet's influence on the way contemporary art can occupy and transform public and architectural space. His works, present on façades, in gardens, stations and squares, testify to a living dialogue between geometric abstraction and the urban environment. By crossing architectural heritage with contemporary creation, the exhibition allows space to be rediscovered under an original and stimulating perspective.

Since the early 1970s, François Morellet created nearly 140 monumental works, which he called his 'disintegrations'. Far from blending into the décor, his interventions dialogue with the space, disrupting perspectives, playing with light and upending the rationality of lines. His approach, at once rigorous and full of humor, invites the viewer on a playful journey at the heart of architecture, turning the visit into a genuine sensory and intellectual experience.

This exhibition is part of a broad national program, coordinated by the Centre Pompidou in collaboration with the Studio Morellet and the Mennour Gallery. It is accompanied by new hangings, rediscoveries of works in public spaces, encounters, conferences and an international symposium. The objective: to reexamine the legacy of François Morellet, his place in art history, and the lasting influence of his work on contemporary artists.

An event organized as part of the centennial celebration of François Morellet's birth, at the initiative of EstateMorellet and the Centre Pompidou

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