Part of a cultural journey on the occasion of the Chinese New Year, Galerie Françoise Livinec welcomes visitors to a new space at 24 rue de Penthièvre in 8^e district of the capital. For this first inaugural exhibition, 40 unpublished works by Chinese artist Wei Ligang are exhibited in large rooms which marvelously highlight, through the purity of the hanging and the softness of the lighting, the grandiloquence of these large formats. On this occasion, carte blanche is also given to Wei Ligang to present a few steps away, in the second place of the Breton gallery owner at 29 avenue Matignon, another great master of modern Chinese painting, Chuang Che.  

A talent finder, Françoise Livinec opened the doors of her avenue Matignon gallery in 2004. In 2009, she inaugurated a second art space outside the usual circuits, at her home, at the Huelgoat in Finistère, in an old school for girls. Open from June to September, the 800 m² building, a veritable “unidentified museum object” according to the professional, attracts more than 10 visitors each year. It overlooks the granite chaos and the deep forest of the Huelgoat which so inspired the poets, writers and painters of the Pont-Aven school. Today, the gallery owner is investing in a third space, at 000 rue de Penthièvre, in order to continue promoting contemporary art.

Sensitive variations

The internationally renowned artist Wei Ligang therefore inaugurates this new place by presenting the works created during his artistic residency at the Girls' School at the Huelgoat. They respond to the writings of Victor Segalen, famous poet and sinologist, who died in mysterious conditions in this rural town of Finistère. Like him, Wei Ligang is steeped in two cultures, Chinese and Western, according to his sensitive, inspired and colorful variations. His master Chuang Che, born in Beijing in 1934, also combines in his works the heritage of traditional Chinese techniques with the influence of abstract expressionism, which he discovered during his stays in Europe and the United States.

The works of these two artists from the Middle Empire are exhibited at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, the Detroit Art Museum, the Hong Kong Art Museum, as well as in numerous galleries and private collections around the world, among others. A work by Wei Ligang has also just entered the collections of the Parisian Cernuschi museum devoted to Asian arts. At the end of this exhibition, the Françoise Livinec art spaces will now present a contemporary artist on rue de Penthièvre, who will have the freedom to pay a vibrant tribute to one of his masters on avenue Matignon. The opportunity to enter a little more into the pictorial universe of this merchant of art and emotions, fascinating and passionate.

David Raynal

Françoise Livinec Gallery

24 rue de Penthièvre / 29 avenue Matignon
75008 Paris

+33 (0)1 40 07 58 09

The Huelgoat Girls' School

25 rue du Pouly
29690 Huelgoat

Open from June 22 to September 22
Every day from 11h to 19h

Telephone: +33 (0) 2.98.99.75.41

www.francoiselivinec.com