OPENING THURSDAY 16.01.2025, 17:00 - 21:00
"My body is the flesh of my dreams."
Pierre Molinier
Galerie Christophe Gaillard is pleased to present, for the first time in Belgium, a bold selection of works by Pierre Molinier (FR, 1900–1976), one of the most subversive and innovative French artists of the 20th century. Through this exhibition, titled Pierre Molinier on Display, the gallery highlights works that explore themes of cross-dressing, self-transformation, and address questions of gender, sexuality, and self-representation.
Pierre Molinier is best known for his photographic self-portraits, in which he stages himself. Using masks, costumes, and photomontages, he transforms his body into a space for experimentation and reinvention.
In his work, cross-dressing goes beyond mere disguise. It becomes an artistic act, a way to elevate and eroticize his body within compositions that intertwine surrealism, sensuality, and theatricality. Close to André Breton, Molinier shared with the Surrealists a taste for breaking conventions, while adopting a distinctly introspective approach. Through his own body, he questioned the relationships between genders and human desires.
Molinier’s inspiration stemmed from his fascination with feminine beauty and his inner desires. His often erotic photographs reveal an intimate artistic quest and a deep desire to escape the social and moral conventions of his time.
Molinier’s work resonates with contemporary questions about gender, identity fluidity, and sexuality. His photographic self-portraits challenge the boundaries between the private and the public, art and reality.
The exhibition Pierre Molinier on Display invites the public to discover how the artist used photography to explore ambiguity, eroticism, and self-representation. Through a scenography incorporating the screens and chairs used in his original setups, the exhibition emphasizes the importance of staging in his work.
