Collection Liliane et Michel Durand-Dessert - Complete set o - Lot 54

Collection Liliane et Michel Durand-Dessert - Complete set of 4 volumes: Pre-Columbian Art / Himalayas. Art & shamans / African Sculptures - 2009-2021 PRECOLUMBIAN ART: COLLECTION LILIANE ET MICHEL DURAND-DESSERT (2021) Legendary gallerists and visionaries, Liliane and Michel Durand-Dessert worked in Paris for almost thirty years (1975-2004) to promote contemporary art. In addition to this commitment, which led to the recognition of numerous artists, since the early 1980s they have also been discerning collectors of ethnographic objects, and have amassed a magnificent collection of pre-Columbian art. MAMC+ is showcasing a selection of forty-five works, most of them previously unseen, in a special exhibition paying tribute to the curiosity of both collectors. These works are a veritable ode to Olmec art, their aesthetic taste impeccable and their knowledge profound. The works, with commentary by Liliane Durand-Dessert, are accompanied by an essay by Caterina Magni, an eminent archaeologist and anthropologist specializing in Olmec art. A veritable synthesis of knowledge on this civilization, born in the ancient lands of Mexico in the middle of the 2nd millennium B.C., this essay, with its assertive positions, is sure to arouse the interest of laymen and specialists alike. A journey through one of France's most prestigious private collections of pre-Columbian art! Himalayas. Art & shamans (2 bilingual volumes) A journey through the Himalayas, this book focuses on tribal art. The last of the primitive arts to be discovered, it could prove to be the first of all; it fascinates and bewilders with its originality and creative force. Statuary, revealed late, marginalized in collections and kept out of major exhibitions, provides the proof here. Confronted alone with his will to create, the Himalayan sculptor invented unique scriptural formulas, demiurgic or self-generated by his dialogue with creation. These works go far beyond their hard-to-determine ethnic identity, age or function. They bear living witness to the inspired character their authors claim to be, and challenge our ability to perceive it despite the veil of our cultural filters. Eric Chazot wrote the text of this book (English, French) in collaboration with Liliane and Michel Durand-Dessert, whose collection is presented here. A pioneer in this field and author of numerous texts, he initiated several exhibitions, including "Facing the Gods" in 1989, for SITES, which became legendary and traveled to the USA and Canada until 1991. The English text of the catalog is published here for the first time. African Sculptures in the Durand-Dessert Collection (2008) Liliane and Michel Durand-Dessert are well known for their commitment to contemporary art, where they have never ceased to question art while demonstrating their interest in questions inherent to the human condition, and in forms close to a primitivist aesthetic: In parallel with their activities as gallery owners, over the past twenty years they have built up a collection of African art, revealing a predilection for works that, whether charged or gullied, accumulative sculptures or fragments of the sublime, are shaped in part by their environment. Liliane and Michel Durand-Dessert's approach to primitive art can be seen as a development of the history of Primitivism in relation to European art at the end of the 20th century. It is with Jean-Louis Paudrat that they have chosen to speak for Fragments du Vivant. The constant interrelations between works, forms and materials trace the many facets of the apprenticeship that is the experience of a collector of African art, and illustrate the teaching that is the fruit of it. In order to convey their sensibility beyond words, and to "visually convey what cannot be explained didactically", the Durand-Desserts have created an unprecedented visual presentation for this book, calling on the talent of photographer Hughes Dubois. "To love an object is to "recognize" it in every sense of the word; to resonate with it to the point where it becomes an extension of our body and consciousness. "That they wished to share this intimacy, and give access to their vision of a world "re-enchanted" under their gaze, will have enabled us to grasp the spirit of a collection, which we can have no doubt is, authentically, their work. Liliane & Michel Durand-Dessert 2009-2021