Exhibition: Dioramas

Dates: 14 July 2017 to 10 September 2017

Location: Palais de Tokyo

The Palais de Tokyo offers a chance to discover an unexpected source of inspiration for contemporary artists: the diorama

The exhibition feature a new exploration of the key origins of the diorama: from Daguerre's original 1822 diorama, a large format painting animated by ingenious lighting tricks which anticipated the advent of cinema to the better known dioramas of Natural History Museums that artificially restate natural environments, historic events, or scenes from daily life.

At once entertaining due to their spectacular character, pedagogical in their desire to tell a story, and highly plastic thanks to their painted backdrops and sculpted figure, dioramas attest to the talent and the surprising history of a range of often obscure characters. the artist, scientists, taxidermists and architects who created them redefined the territory of art and its borders with science and technology.

Beyond the history of the diorama and its influence on mayor 20th and 21st century artists, "DIORAMAS" invites visitors to immerse themselves in the hidden mechanisms of this dispositive order to discover the stakes of knowledge and power hidden within it.

The exhibition is organized in partnership with the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt