6, rue de Furstenberg – 75006 Paris
01 44 41 86 50
www.musee-delacroix.fr
Stéphanie Solinas
L’Austère sentiment
4 – 30 november
Stéphanis Solinas works on the idea of identity. Perception of oneself, perception of others, perception of others in oneself. Despite her youth, she belongs to the historical tradition of photography, inspired by the scientific theories of Alphonse Bertillon as well as by the spiritualist and poetic inventions of Victor Hugo. Not only a photographer, she could be seen as a sociologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, a writer, thanks to her singular creation. Through all her different projects, she aims to explore the links between human beings. Her whole creation is both original and varied, as she does not limit to one technique, to one format. Her priority is not only the aesthetic aspect: she rather likes to ally, remarkably, support and creative spirit. This is why her photographs can be business cards, book illustrations, reproductions of pieces of art, projections. But Stéphanie Solinas does not work on images only. She also claims the material nature of photography, an object as well as an image .
Her creations have already attracted the attention of critics in Arles, Marseille, Iceland, where she has worked in residence. She is thus one of the most promising photographers today. The Musée national Eugène-Delacroix is very pleased that she has accepted our invitation for the Festival Photo of Saint- Germain-des- Prés.
Eugene Delacroix’s studio, his last studio, where he lived and worked from 1857 to his death in 1863, is a magical place , conducive to creativity . Stéphanie Solinas came there often in order to observe the works presented there. When coming there, she could share intimacy of the artist, by watching, through wide windows facing south, the small secret flowery garden that the painter had loved so much. She discovered an unexpected Delacroix: there, he stands not only as a painter but also as an engraver and a writer. Beyond the artist, she became interested in the man. Reading the letters he addressed to, his relatives and friends throughout his life, she wanted to dedicate his exhibition to friendship, the links established through regular and happy contact. She extended the correspondence between friends – Eugène Delacroix, Chopin , George Sand – to a correspondence between works of art .
Her choices, that we wished as free as possible, offer a new perspective on Delacroix creations, allowing to discover or to rediscover the masterworks of the Museum. They emphasize the liveliness of the admiration that the nineteenth-century painter continues to generate among creators. They make sensitive the circumstances of the creation of the Museum, founded in the late 1920s, more than sixty years after the death of Delacroix, by artists who could not have known him, Maurice Denis , Edouard Vuillard and Paul Signac. We are proud and happy to welcome her exhibition and hope that this event, which includes the Musée Eugène-Delacroix both in his time and in his neighborhood, arouse the desire to discover or to rediscover this charming place, peaceful haven in the heart of Paris.
Dominique de Font-Réaulx
Director of the Musée Eugène Delacroix