Art tells us that we must “learn to see and feel life,” declared Josef Albers, a German-born artist and teacher then living in the United States, in 1940. For him, art is inseparable from life, and he encourages us to “open our eyes”. This formula applies as much to his conception of pedagogy as to its artistic dimension.
This exhibition examines the way in which artists invite us to decenter our gaze and thus transform our relationship with art, society and the world. The exhibition, neither chronological nor narrative, is structured around visual, formal or thematic rhymes. It reveals affinities between works from a wide variety of media, periods and creative contexts, reflecting the richness and diversity of the collections of the Musée National d’Art Moderne (Paris).
“To Open Eyes” is a free journey that offers an open and non-exhaustive overview of the great movements and ruptures that have marked the history of 20th- and 21st-century art, up to recent creations that reflect some of the contemporary challenges. The works offer reflections on our relationship with history and spirituality, the place of the body in art and society, and the way utopias shape our imaginaries.