Daniel Buren

Born in 1938 in Boulogne-Billancourt (FR)
Lives and works in Paris (FR)

Bouquet

1988
Stable metal and textile
Hauteur : 1000 cm, diamètre : 200 cm
Bannières : 300 X 92 cm
Year of Purchase: 1989

Since the late 1960s, Daniel Buren has been formulating his art based on one and the same objective and neutral motif consisting of 8.7 cm stripes which are alternately white and coloured. The artist uses the potential of this motif as a sign by using and filling space. Each work is formulated on the basis of the exhibition venue. This specific feature of Buren’s spatial production in situ means that a large number of his works are fleeting creations. They are not merely stripes of different colours on display, but stripes within an ever-changing context. The artist reveals the architecture in its specific features through the work, which is in conflict with it. By modulating space, interior and exterior alike, Buren steers our perception. So he does not shrink from filling spaces imbued with political representation. Bouquet (1988) consists of a mast surveyed by a host of red and white striped banners floating in the wind. By making a direct reference to public bunting, Buren establishes a dialogue between living art and buildings frozen in history. This elegant installation conjures up a mediaeval festival and a fair in a public square. The work straightaway transmits an atmosphere of celebration and thus illustrates the effectiveness of the visual tools developed by the artist.

^{Sophie Richard}