Memories steeped in dreams

The Museum of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation hosts the exhibition "Memories steeped in dreams" from Tuesday 8 August to Sunday 3 December 2023.

The Museum is dedicating its exhibition to the significant role of multiples in modern and contemporary art. Bringing together around ninety lithographs, engravings, and ceramics from the Foundation's Collection, the exhibition showcases the works of eight prominent artists of the 19th and 20th centuries: Aristide Maillol (1861-1944), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Fernand Léger (1881-1955), Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Georges Braque (1882-1954), Joan Miró (1893-1983), and Balthus (1908-2001).

This unique gathering of works provides an opportunity to reexamine their history from two perspectives. First, by viewing them as a collection of "memories steeped in dream," as beautifully described by Guatemalan writer Miguel Ángel Asturias. This approach allows for a detailed analysis of the advantages that various multiple techniques offered to artists: the ability to explore different creative methods and develop a new way of perceiving artworks, the chance to break away from the solitude of their studios and enjoy the temporary joy of collaboration, the ability to disseminate their work more widely and rapidly, and the opportunity to integrate their works with written texts by prose writers or poets. Exploring the realms of printmaking and ceramics also provides an opportunity to acknowledge the crucial role played by numerous collaborators who were involved in the creation of these works, including Ambroise Vollard, Aimé, Marguerite, and Adrien Maeght, Tériade, Fernand Mourlot, and Suzanne Ramié. Additionally, by closely examining each individual work, the exhibition highlights its originality in relation to the artist's broader body of work. The sum of these individual stories contributes to a fresh and comprehensive approach to art history.
Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to discover entire albums such as "The Master of Drawing" by Aristide Maillol, "Lautrec's Twelve Lithographs," "Circus" by Léger, "The Theogony" illustrated (in Greek) by Braque, and "Wuthering Heights" envisioned by Balthus. Furthermore, the exhibition underscores the pivotal role played by Matisse, Picasso, and Miró in the advancement of printmaking and ceramics during the 20th century.