The Museum of Modern Art in Paris is dedicating its first institutional exhibition in Paris to Stéphane Bordarier, running from July 21, 2026, to January 4, 2027.28.08.2026
View of the exhibition Stéphane Bordarier at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris © Jean Vayssié Since the mid-1980s, Stéphane Bordarier (born 1953) has developed a body of work that belongs to the historical movement in which painting becomes its own subject. Singular within the contemporary art landscape, his practice—attentive to what he calls the “qualité de surface" (surface quality)—relies on a balance between self-imposed constraints and freedom of gesture.
View of the exhibition Stéphane Bordarier at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris © Jean Vayssié
By gradually stripping his pictorial language down to the essential—one color, one shape—Stéphane Bordarier explores the possibilities of a painting that is both rigorous and deeply sensitive. His works are born from an unchanging process: on a stretched canvas coated with warm rabbit-skin glue, he applies pigment during the glue’s setting time. The artist describes himself as being “chased away” from the canvas as the material sets, marking the completion of the painting: color and form unite in a resolution unique to each work. Generally reduced to a single hue, the surface of the canvas acquires a matte appearance and a distinct intensity through the saturation of the pigment blended with the glue. The painting is thus constructed in close relationship with time.
View of the exhibition Stéphane Bordarier at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris © Jean Vayssié
View of the exhibition Stéphane Bordarier at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris © Jean Vayssié
In the Noires series, the color—derived from a blend of two tones mixed directly on the canvas—never appears as a fixed or absolute value, but instead reveals a subtle chromatic depth. Marked by shifting nuances that respond to light and the viewer’s perspective, these works reveal the process of their creation. For nearly thirty years, the Galerie Jean Fournier in Paris supported and exhibited Stéphane Bordarier’s work. Today, he is represented by the Galerie Dina Vierny. Thanks to a recent acquisition complemented by a donation from the artist, five works by Stéphane Bordarier entered the museum's collections in 2026. They are presented here alongside several loans from his studio, offering a significant overview of his artistic career and pictorial research.
View of the exhibition Stéphane Bordarier at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris © Jean Vayssié
In addition to this museum exhibition, a publication is scheduled for release in 2027: a monograph dedicated to Stéphane Bordarier, written by Michel Gauthier and published by Galerie Dina Vierny. It will offer a deeper exploration of a body of work that, for forty years, has evolved far beyond the influence of passing trends. Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris Stéphane Bordarier July 21, 2026–January 4, 2027
By gradually stripping his pictorial language down to the essential—one color, one shape—Stéphane Bordarier explores the possibilities of a painting that is both rigorous and deeply sensitive. His works are born from an unchanging process: on a stretched canvas coated with warm rabbit-skin glue, he applies pigment during the glue’s setting time. The artist describes himself as being “chased away” from the canvas as the material sets, marking the completion of the painting: color and form unite in a resolution unique to each work. Generally reduced to a single hue, the surface of the canvas acquires a matte appearance and a distinct intensity through the saturation of the pigment blended with the glue. The painting is thus constructed in close relationship with time.
View of the exhibition Stéphane Bordarier at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris © Jean Vayssié The Museum of Modern Art in Paris is dedicating its first institutional exhibition in Paris to Stéphane Bordarier, running from July 21, 2026, to January 4, 2027.
Since the mid-1980s, Stéphane Bordarier (born 1953) has developed a body of work that belongs to the historical movement in which painting becomes its own subject. Singular within the contemporary art landscape, his practice—attentive to what he calls the “qualité de surface" (surface quality)—relies on a balance between self-imposed constraints and freedom of gesture.
By gradually stripping his pictorial language down to the essential—one color, one shape—Stéphane Bordarier explores the possibilities of a painting that is both rigorous and deeply sensitive. His works are born from an unchanging process: on a stretched canvas coated with warm rabbit-skin glue, he applies pigment during the glue’s setting time. The artist describes himself as being “chased away” from the canvas as the material sets, marking the completion of the painting: color and form unite in a resolution unique to each work. Generally reduced to a single hue, the surface of the canvas acquires a matte appearance and a distinct intensity through the saturation of the pigment blended with the glue. The painting is thus constructed in close relationship with time.
View of the exhibition Stéphane Bordarier at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris © Jean Vayssié
View of the exhibition Stéphane Bordarier at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris © Jean Vayssié
In the Noires series, the color—derived from a blend of two tones mixed directly on the canvas—never appears as a fixed or absolute value, but instead reveals a subtle chromatic depth. Marked by shifting nuances that respond to light and the viewer’s perspective, these works reveal the process of their creation. For nearly thirty years, the Galerie Jean Fournier in Paris supported and exhibited Stéphane Bordarier’s work. Today, he is represented by the Galerie Dina Vierny. Thanks to a recent acquisition complemented by a donation from the artist, five works by Stéphane Bordarier entered the museum's collections in 2026. They are presented here alongside several loans from his studio, offering a significant overview of his artistic career and pictorial research.
View of the exhibition Stéphane Bordarier at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris © Jean Vayssié
In addition to this museum exhibition, a publication is scheduled for release in 2027: a monograph dedicated to Stéphane Bordarier, written by Michel Gauthier and published by Galerie Dina Vierny. It will offer a deeper exploration of a body of work that, for forty years, has evolved far beyond the influence of passing trends. Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris Stéphane Bordarier July 21, 2026–January 4, 2027
Galerie Dina Vierny
36 rue Jacob, 75006 Paris
53 rue de Seine, 75006 Paris
Open from Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Galerie Dina Vierny
36 rue Jacob, 75006 Paris
53 rue de Seine, 75006 Paris
Open from Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
