The Musée de la Poste is presenting the exhibition "Marc Pessin, To the Heart of Writing" from 1 October 2007 to 9 February 2008. This exhibition is an opportunity to discover two rooms showcasing the various facets of this artist-archeologist, entomologist, engraver, publisher and drawer who was born in 1933 and works in the Isère region.
The first room is dedicated to Marc Pessin, the entomologist. It is transformed into a life-size curio box where visitors will discover, among other things, 33 plates and envelopes on Winged
Creatures, some of which come from the Musée de la Poste collections, and 22 plates of the Lanternus of Surinam, an imaginary insect made famous by the artist. These engraved plates feature comments embedded within the drawings and are accompanied by engraved plant
illustrations and ceramics found at the very places where these insects live.
The second room tips its hat to Marc Pessin, engraver and publisher, whose achievements include publishing and illustrating more than 150 authors. His love of writing has led to collaborations with poets, whose texts he transcribes into engraved symbols or Pessinese calligraphy. The results are bibliophilic wonders rich in invention and of a rare beauty. A few examples give an idea of the diverse materials used by the artist: gold, silver, tin cans…
Presented works include: The Library of Babel, Elsa’s Eyes by Aragon, Au Vif des Vivants by Andrée Chedid, New York by Léopold Sedar Senghor and La Tour du Fou by Claire and Yvan Goll, for which Marc Pessin received in 1973 the Most Beautiful Book of the Year award. Letters from Senghor and Claire Goll to the artist accompany their works. The exhibition is rounded out with five giant testaments, written entirely in the hand of Marc Pessin and bearing engravings, drawings and stamps.
Marc Pessin develops a unique relationship with nature, history and civilizations, which are for him an inexhaustible source of inspiration. "(…) Creating is being. It is innovating. (…) My art is tied to my life and my life is tied to my art. What I produce is part of my inner architecture"
(excerpt from an interview with the artist for Missives, July 2007 issue).
Missives no. 246 published by the Literary Society of La Poste and France Télécom is dedicating an issue to the exhibition and Marc Pessin (available in September 2007).
Musée de la Poste
34 Bd de Vaugirard – 75015 PARIS
Tel: 01 42 79 24 24
Nearest Metro station: Montparnasse Bienvenüe
Open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm
Closed Sundays and bank holidays
Admission: € 5 Reduced rate: € 3.50
Free for visitors under the age of 18
Press contact
Marie-Anne TEULAT
marie-anne.teulat@laposte.fr
Tel: 01 42 79 23 29
Fax: 01 42 79 24 00
www.museedelaposte.fr
Images available on request
Exhibition curator:
Josette RASLE
josette.rasle@laposte.fr
Tel: 01 42 79 23 13
(PDF, 92.3 kb)