Corps et âmes: an original exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, our photos

" Bodies and Souls " is the name of the new exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce. On view from March 5 to August 25, 2025, this major new exhibition explores the importance of the body in contemporary thought. To this end, the world-renowned museum dedicated to contemporary art is showcasing works by some thirty artists from the Pinault Collection.

From Georg Baselitz and Auguste Rodin to Michael Armitage, Ana Mendieta, Miriam Cahn, Marlene Dumas, David Hammons, Niki de Saint Phalle and Kerry James Marshall, the " Corps et âmes " exhibition also features work by Zimbabwean painter Kudzanai-Violet Hwami, American Mira Schor and Deana Lawson. Visitors can also immerse themselves in the history of the struggles of the 1960s through works by Duane Hanson, Philip Guston and Richard Avedon. There is also a focus on video artist and director of photography Arthur Jafa. Lebanese artist Ali Cherri is invited to take over the shop windows of the Passage de la Bourse de Commerce.

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In recent years, the Bourse de Commerce has surprised and delighted us with unusual and grandiose works, such as Mike Kelley's"Kandor Full Set", Kimsooja's"To Breathe - Constellation" installation and the old men by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu presented in the"Le monde comme il va" exhibition.

This time, for " Corps et âmes ", the Parisian museum is showcasing more classical works (painting, video and photography), but which are nonetheless remarkable and captivating, especially if you appreciatecontemporary art. One example is Georg Baselitz's masterpiece of 8 self-portraits. These monumental canvases, depicting upside-down, drooping bodies, are suspended in space, forming an enclosed space. It is with the German painter and sculptor that the " Corps et âmes " exhibition ends and begins. At the entrance to the museum, visitors are greeted by a 3-metre-high sculpture holding a skull and crossbones in its hands behind its back.

But the " Corps et âmes " exhibition also reveals the work of many other talented artists, including Duane Hanson, known for his hyperrealistic sculptures made from castings. On the 2nd floor of the Bourse de Commerce, two sculptures by this American artist are on display, including a self-portrait, " Seated Artist ".

A little further on, we are touched by Kerry James Marshall's work entitled " Beauty Examined ". In this painting (acrylic and collage on canvas), the American artist revisits Rembrandt's " The Anatomy Lesson ", but also the inhuman fate of Saartjie Baartman, nicknamed the " Hottentot Venus ". The tour continues with Niki de Saint Phalle 's " Nana noire " and Man Ray 's " Noire et blanche ". Then it's on to Miriam Cahn 's ritualistic stagings and the sublime works of Michael Armitage and Peter Doig.

The exhibition is not only visual, but also auditory. Listening stations have been set up in Gallery 7 on the 2nd floor. As you sit down, the playlist - designed by music journalist and jazz producer Vincent Bessières - is triggered.

We're off to the second floor to discover Deana Lawson's first solo exhibition in France. The African-American photographer presents large-format portraits of her close circle, posing in domestic settings.

Videos also feature prominently in this exhibition, starting with those byArthur Jafa. The American video artist and cinematographer takes over La Rotonde with his film " Love is the Message, the Message is Death ". In this film, Arthur Jafa revisits African-American history in the 20th century. The faces of several personalities from black American culture (Angela Davis, Miles Davis, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama...) mingle with anonymous figures. A little further on, in Gallery 2, Arthur Jafa unveils one of his latest films, " AGHDRA ", with music by the Isley Brothers, Roberta Flack and Rose Royce.

While this exhibition will delight lovers of contemporary art, and more specifically of painting, photography and video, it is not for everyone. Some of the works feature nude bodies - including canvases by Swiss painter Miriam Cahn - and many of them are likely to offend the sensibilities of the public, especially young people.

But once again, the Bourse de Commerce invites us to reflect on the world around us and the society in which we live. The artists on show draw their inspiration from the awareness and resistance struggles of the 1960s, making the body the seismograph and privileged witness of a committed art form. Whether photographed, sculpted, drawn, filmed or painted, the body never ceases to reinvent itself. This is what the Bourse de Commerce invites us to discover through its new exhibition " Corps et âmes ". On view from March 5 to August 25, 2025.