Palazzo, the great exhibition 2023 in Avignon
Once again this year, a major annual exhibition will take place in the Pope Palace.
For the 2023 season, this exceptional place will be presenting a visual artist and her dreamlike universe : Eva Jospin, French Prime Minister’s daughter.
From June 30th to January, 7th 2024, wander through the forest and architectural landscapes that the artist has constructed in the gigantic rooms of the gothic palace.
After Sebastiao Salgado’s Amazonia, Eva Jospin and her wandering universe in Avignon
Graduated from the National Superior School of Bellas Artes (École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts) in Paris, Eva Jospin composes her works in various media.
In the largest Gothic palace in the world, she invites us to get lost and to stroll around dreaming. In the architecture of the pontifical residence, her forest landscapes accentuate the contrast between plant and mineral. They have a special place under the majestic vaults of the papal residence.
Eva Jospin, whose creations have already been exhibited at the Louvre Museum, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and the Venice Biennale, will present some twenty works in Avignon, including six created for the occasion.
The exhibition in the Palace of the Popes is an interaction between man and nature
The exhibition called Palazzo will pass through several rooms of the historical monument, from the Parement Room to the Saint-Martial chapel. In the Grand Tinel, three large silk embroidered panels will be set up. It could have been there hangings like in the Middle Ages, as suggested by the Histopad, this fun tool for visiting the Palace.
In the large chapel, we will find Nymphées, a monumental sculpture made of wood, cardboard, stone and shells, which was recently used as a set for a Christian Dior fashion show. The Cenotaph, which made its mark in 2020 at the Abbaye de Montmajour, is resurrected in another equally prestigious location. Finally, the work entitled “Côté cour côté jardin” should also generate strong emotions in visitors.
Eva Jospin has chosen monumental and smaller works to exhibit in Avignon
Eva Jospin emphasises “…inside the Palais, I will try to create a route that will follow the architecture as closely as possible, in order to establish a real dialogue between the works and the structure of the building, particularly in the large chapel where we have been able to review the spaces. In fact, the entire route will be punctuated by works, some of which are truly monumental, and others which are much smaller. It gives the opportunity to the visitor to admire both the frescoes and my works. A number of creations will be made directly on site by Eva Jospin.
As with the Brazilian photographer Salgado, the forest becomes a source of inspiration
“The forest has been the beating heart of my work for some fifteen years. For people who are not yet familiar with my creations, this is an opportunity to return to my starting point, because it is from the forest that I then moved on to the garden and architecture.”
At the end of the tour, several film extracts as well as a series of images by photographer Laure Vasconi will allow visitors to discover a documentary on the backstage of the exhibition, from the long work of conception and realisation in Eva Jospin’s Parisian studio, to the impressive assembly of her works within the spaces of the Palais.
Cécile Helle, mayor of Avignon, concludes: “What will be striking about this long-term exhibition, which can be seen until 7 January 2024, is that it is very sensitive and poetic, with the confrontation of these two worlds, art and the monument, a beautiful artistic proposal that invites you to travel.
Eva Jospin will also be exhibiting this summer at the Collection Lambert in Avignon.
More information and tickets on palais-des-papes.com