Manubelge
1982
165 x 74 x 35 cm (64 15/16 x 29 1/8 x 13 3/4 in.)
A glass and metal medicine cabinet is covered by a thick coat of paint reproducing the original colours and details. A transparent gel, used for the first time by Bertrand Lavier, is also applied to the windows. Manubelge takes its name from the company that made these old medical showcases. By repainting the object, the artist transforms it into a ready-made piece where the boundaries between painting and sculpture become blurred.
Lavier’s penchant for hybridisation stems from his horticultural training. He strives to overturn traditional categories of art by transcending the boundaries between painting and sculpture in a series of painted objects, of which Manubelge is a part. Lavier changes the cabinet’s status. We no longer know whether it is an everyday object or a work of art.
Manubelge was shown for the first time by the Pinault Collection in 2015 during the "Slip of the Tongue" exhibition at the Punta della Dogana.
Lavier’s penchant for hybridisation stems from his horticultural training. He strives to overturn traditional categories of art by transcending the boundaries between painting and sculpture in a series of painted objects, of which Manubelge is a part. Lavier changes the cabinet’s status. We no longer know whether it is an everyday object or a work of art.
Manubelge was shown for the first time by the Pinault Collection in 2015 during the "Slip of the Tongue" exhibition at the Punta della Dogana.
Exhibitions
Bertrand LAVIER © Adagp, Paris.
© Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, Niney et Marca Architectes, Agence Pierre-Antoine Gatier.
Photo : Aurélien Mole
Exhibition view, Ouverture, Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection, Paris, 2021.
Bertrand LAVIER © Adagp, Paris.
Photo: André Morin
