Dessin politique, dessin poétique

“At first glance the differences between the political drawing and the poetic (for our purposes, the landscape) might seem irreconcilable. Yet bringing them face to face throws up some unexpected similarities. When they turn their attention to nature, even the most acerbic satirists treat their subject with respect, while the mildestmannered landscape artist can rail against the established order. Nevertheless, our aim is not to fi nd parallels where there are none: some artists only produce political drawings, others devote themselves entirely to landscapes. In this encounter between political drawings and poetic landscapes, it is the unforeseen and surprising that gives the exhibition its direction, as if the works themselves were creating their own dialogue. Invisible threads are woven and unravelled, as Goya addresses Siné, Tomi Ungerer responds to Camille Corot, Alberto Giacometti strikes up conversation with Otto Dix and Paul Klee confi des in Martial Leiter. As we discover, the language of drawing knows no bounds.”