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From 12 July to 5 November 2023, the Musée Fabre in Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole is presenting a retrospective dedicated to the sculptor Germaine Richier. In collaboration with the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which presented the same project from 1 March to 12 June, the Montpellier museum is exhibiting almost 200 works, covering the different periods of her artistic career.July 21, 2023
View of the exhibition "Germaine Richier, une rétrospective" at the Musée Fabre from 12 July to 5 November 2023 © Cécile Marson - Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole An undeniably innovative artist, Germaine Richier has established herself as one of the greatest sculptors of her time, renewing her artistic field alongside the likes of Alberto Giacometti, César and Robert Couturier. She was one of the first to incorporate various materials, often natural, into her work, and to introduce colour. She was also very interested in the spatial layout of her sculptures, creating games with the scenography and the spectators. In 1956, her work was consecrated when she became the first woman to be exhibited in her lifetime at the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris.
Germaine Richier, "Loretto", 1934, Bronze, 159.5 x 55 x 36 cm
Following in the footsteps of the Centre Pompidou, the Musée Fabre is delighted to be hosting a retrospective dedicated to this "local child". The sculptor's work is of considerable importance to the museum, which made the first French public acquisition of one of her sculptures, the "Loretto", in 1938. The Musée Fabre has completely redesigned the scenography of the retrospective to suit its space. Germaine Richier's sculptures, engravings, drawings and paintings are all on display, testifying to Richier's importance in the history of art.
Germaine Richier, "La Chauve-Souris", 1946, Bronze, 91 × 91 × 52 cm © Musée Fabre
Germaine Richier has had close links with the Occitanie region since her early childhood. She grew up in the commune of Castelnau-le-Lez, on the outskirts of Montpellier, and in 1921 began her training at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montpellier under Louis Guigues, a former practitioner of Rodin. The École des Beaux-Arts was then located on the ground floor of what is now the Musée Fabre, where the retrospective dedicated to the sculptor is currently taking place. Her Mediterranean environment, with its flora and fauna, greatly inspired her work. In the same way as Cabanel, Delacroix, Courbet and Soulages, Germaine Richier has been the subject of several acquisitions for the museum's permanent collections. When the museum reopened in 2007, an entire room was dedicated to her, with "La Chauve-Souris" (purchased in 1996), "L'Escrimeuse" (The Fencer) and "L'Araignée" (The Spider) (purchased in 2007) all occupying pride of place.
View of the exhibition "Germaine Richier, une rétrospective" at the Musée Fabre from 12 July to 5 November 2023 © Cécile Marson - Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
View of the exhibition "Germaine Richier, une rétrospective" at the Musée Fabre from 12 July to 5 November 2023 © Cécile Marson - Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
As part of the project to redevelop the Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle, the city of Montpellier also wants to melt down a new copy of Germaine Richier's "La Spirale" (1957), currently on show in the retrospective, and install it in the garden, which has been redesigned for 2025. This will echo Richier's words: "My sculptures inhabit the landscape. You know, I've seen them in the leaves, in the mud."
View of the exhibition "Couturier-Richier: une amitié sculpturale" at the Galerie Dina Vierny from 10 February to 26 April 2023. Galerie Dina Vierny / Romain Darnaud
The retrospective is also an opportunity to discover or rediscover the works presented at the Galerie Dina Vierny during the exhibition "Couturier - Richier: une amitié sculpturale" (Couturier - Richier: a sculptural friendship). These include the "Loretto", created by the artist in 1934 and previously shown at the Centre Pompidou, and the "Buste de Renée Regodias" (1938).
Following in the footsteps of the Centre Pompidou, the Musée Fabre is delighted to be hosting a retrospective dedicated to this "local child". The sculptor's work is of considerable importance to the museum, which made the first French public acquisition of one of her sculptures, the "Loretto", in 1938. The Musée Fabre has completely redesigned the scenography of the retrospective to suit its space. Germaine Richier's sculptures, engravings, drawings and paintings are all on display, testifying to Richier's importance in the history of art.
View of the exhibition "Germaine Richier, une rétrospective" at the Musée Fabre from 12 July to 5 November 2023 © Cécile Marson - Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole From 12 July to 5 November 2023, the Musée Fabre in Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole is presenting a retrospective dedicated to the sculptor Germaine Richier. In collaboration with the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which presented the same project from 1 March to 12 June, the Montpellier museum is exhibiting almost 200 works, covering the different periods of her artistic career.
An undeniably innovative artist, Germaine Richier has established herself as one of the greatest sculptors of her time, renewing her artistic field alongside the likes of Alberto Giacometti, César and Robert Couturier. She was one of the first to incorporate various materials, often natural, into her work, and to introduce colour. She was also very interested in the spatial layout of her sculptures, creating games with the scenography and the spectators. In 1956, her work was consecrated when she became the first woman to be exhibited in her lifetime at the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris.
Following in the footsteps of the Centre Pompidou, the Musée Fabre is delighted to be hosting a retrospective dedicated to this "local child". The sculptor's work is of considerable importance to the museum, which made the first French public acquisition of one of her sculptures, the "Loretto", in 1938. The Musée Fabre has completely redesigned the scenography of the retrospective to suit its space. Germaine Richier's sculptures, engravings, drawings and paintings are all on display, testifying to Richier's importance in the history of art.
Germaine Richier, "La Chauve-Souris", 1946, Bronze, 91 × 91 × 52 cm © Musée Fabre
Germaine Richier has had close links with the Occitanie region since her early childhood. She grew up in the commune of Castelnau-le-Lez, on the outskirts of Montpellier, and in 1921 began her training at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montpellier under Louis Guigues, a former practitioner of Rodin. The École des Beaux-Arts was then located on the ground floor of what is now the Musée Fabre, where the retrospective dedicated to the sculptor is currently taking place. Her Mediterranean environment, with its flora and fauna, greatly inspired her work. In the same way as Cabanel, Delacroix, Courbet and Soulages, Germaine Richier has been the subject of several acquisitions for the museum's permanent collections. When the museum reopened in 2007, an entire room was dedicated to her, with "La Chauve-Souris" (purchased in 1996), "L'Escrimeuse" (The Fencer) and "L'Araignée" (The Spider) (purchased in 2007) all occupying pride of place.
View of the exhibition "Germaine Richier, une rétrospective" at the Musée Fabre from 12 July to 5 November 2023 © Cécile Marson - Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
View of the exhibition "Germaine Richier, une rétrospective" at the Musée Fabre from 12 July to 5 November 2023 © Cécile Marson - Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
As part of the project to redevelop the Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle, the city of Montpellier also wants to melt down a new copy of Germaine Richier's "La Spirale" (1957), currently on show in the retrospective, and install it in the garden, which has been redesigned for 2025. This will echo Richier's words: "My sculptures inhabit the landscape. You know, I've seen them in the leaves, in the mud."
View of the exhibition "Couturier-Richier: une amitié sculpturale" at the Galerie Dina Vierny from 10 February to 26 April 2023. Galerie Dina Vierny / Romain Darnaud
The retrospective is also an opportunity to discover or rediscover the works presented at the Galerie Dina Vierny during the exhibition "Couturier - Richier: une amitié sculpturale" (Couturier - Richier: a sculptural friendship). These include the "Loretto", created by the artist in 1934 and previously shown at the Centre Pompidou, and the "Buste de Renée Regodias" (1938). 