Inspired by Don Quixote, Madness Becomes Art at the MUCEM
A literary hero who has become a mythical figure throughout the centuries, Don Quixote is the subject of the Mucem’s new exhibition, “Don Quixote: A Madman’s Tale, A Tale Worth Laughing At,” on display until March 30th.
Invented in 1605 by Miguel de Cervantes, the mad and facetious knight confuses peasant girls with princesses, windmills with giants, and intervenes where his help is not needed, with great doses of chivalrous and outdated rhetoric. Over time, the hero’s romantic quest has been interpreted in many ways, but the exhibition focuses on the comic and boisterous side of the original work, as well as its popularity throughout the ages. It’s been a never-ending source of inspiration for artists past and present. With works by Gérard Garouste and Abraham Poincheval, Don Quixote is reinterpreted a thousand times over, as a figure that has become omnipresent in the history of art.
More than 200 deliberately anachronistic works are presented, drawn from the Mucem collections as well as from prestigious sponsors, including an exceptional collaboration with the National Library of Spain in Madrid. From Salvador Dalí to Pablo Picasso, Gustave Doré, Daumier, and Francisco de Goya, the exhibition features paintings, gouaches, editorial masterpieces, everyday objects, and songs, to name just a few mediums.
At the exhibition’s opening on October 14th, we met Aude Fanlo, Hélia Paukner, Jean-Raymond Fanlo, Carlos Fernández-Arias Minuesa, Abraham Poincheval Carlos, and many others.
Photos : Michaël Huard
