THE WONDERFUL WORKS OF CLAUDINE DRAI AT THE CENTRE POMPIDOU

Since the acquisition budget of the Centre Pompidou is extremely limited, Laurent Le Bon, its president, and Xavier Rey, director of the Musée National d'Art Moderne (MNAM), are pursuing a very active policy of enriching the collections through donations. These come from foundations, private individuals, artists, and galleries. Among those obtained during their tenure, the collection of Jean Chatelus (1939-2021) should be mentioned: the historian had bequeathed it to the Fondation Antoine de Galbert, which donated it to the MNAM. Four hundred works "incredibly strange," as the title of the exhibition dedicated to them by the museum from March 26 describes them. Another trophy is the donation made by Emmanuel Perrotin and seventeen of the artists represented by his gallery. A large relief by Eva Jospin, currently on display on the fourth floor of the Centre Pompidou, was acquired with the support of two companies, Ruinart and Emerige. It is the first work by our new academician – elected in 2024 to the seat of sculptor Jean Cardot – to enter the collections. Just a few steps away, the visitor is confronted with another work, strange, seemingly ethereal, but of rare power, made from crumpled white silk paper, protected by Plexiglas display cases. Six pieces are hung on the wall, while one is displayed horizontally, slightly raised. The monthly magazine Beaux-Arts did not hesitate to include this donation in its list of the ten masterpieces entering the national collections in 2024, alongside Jean Siméon Chardin's The Basket of Wild Strawberries (1699-1779), now at the Louvre.

"A Collective Story"
The space that hosts them is one of the least welcoming imaginable, as Xavier Rey himself readily admits: more of a recess than a niche, interrupted by a door and overshadowed by one of the building's main beams, very prominent visually. Yet, the work is so captivating that these elements quickly fade into the background, allowing the viewer to focus on those fragile flowers and birds, those enchanting figures. After all, it was the artist herself who chose the installation location: "It turned out to be the right place," says Xavier Rey. "She transformed it into an intimate space that perfectly aligns with her universe. And this also changed the selection of works. For example, it was the presence of the door that determined the installation of the horizontal piece, which had not been planned initially." The artist is Claudine Drai. Born in 1951, she is an outsider in the contemporary art world. Saying that she dedicates herself entirely to her work, her "world" as she calls it, is not enough. One must watch the film dedicated to her by Wim Wenders to grasp its powerful originality and exceptional character. Titled Présence, it was first shown at the Venice Biennale in 2022, then at the Centre Pompidou in October 2023. It was after this screening that the idea of a donation was born. Xavier Rey admits to having discovered Claudine Drai's work on that occasion and immediately visiting her studio. From experience, one can say that it’s impossible to leave unscathed. "She had a parallel career, somewhat overlooked by institutions. Yet, she is an artist who, by her very nature, surprises, attracts, fascinates, while staying outside conventional norms. Her commitment to her work is total. It seemed to me the right time for her to enter the national collections."