PARIS.- Marian Goodman Gallery is presenting ‘Histoires des oreillers,’ an In Focus Presentation dedicated to Annette Messager. The selection of works features historic and iconic works, some of which are rarely shown to the public.
While the exhibition at the Muse de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris celebrates animality in her work, this new presentation unveils narratives centered on romantic imagery and intimate secrets. It showcases the mischievous spirit and unconventional materials that have characterized the artist’s work since her early years. The works highlight, amongst other things, her penchant for repurposing everyday objects, as illustrated by Histoire des oreillers I (1995–1996) and Les Amoureux (2016); her fondness for wordplay in Les Lignes de la main (1988), Mes Ouvrages (Tolrance) (1988–1989) and Spleen (2025), and her exploration of sexist stereotypes in Les Qualificatifs donns aux femmes (1972) and Just Married (2011).
A few streets away from the gallery at the Muse de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris, the critically acclaimed exhibition ‘Une Hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps’ continues through 20 September. More than 80 works by Annette Messager are on display in about fifteen rooms, arranged along a thematic route where they engage in a dialogue with the museum’s collections.
A book signing with Annette Messager and the curator Colin Lemoine, which will focus on the exhibition catalogue published by the museum and Dilecta, is scheduled for Thursday, 3 September, from 6:30 pm to 8 pm at the gallery. The event is organized in partnership with the Muse de la Chasse et de la Nature.
Born in Berck-sur-Mer in 1943, Annette Messager lives and works near Paris. She was awarded the Praemium Imperiale in the sculpture category for her lifetime achievement (2016) and represented France at the 51st Venice Biennale, where she was awarded the Golden Lion (2005).
In autumn 2026, the Kunsthalle Praha and the Taiwan National Museum of Fine Arts will each present two major exhibitions of her work. Annette Messager has exhibited all over the world; in recent years at the Power Station of Art (PSA) in Shanghai (2024), the ARoS Museum in Aarhus, Denmark (2023), the LaM – Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Lille Mtropole (2022), the Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2022), the Centre Pompidou Metz (2021), the Institut Giacometti in Paris (2018), the Institut Valenci d’Art Modern (IVAM) in Valencia, Spain (2018), the Villa Medici in Rome (2017), the Muse des Beaux-Arts and the Cit de la Dentelle et de la Mode in Calais (2015–2016), at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney (2014), at K21 in Dsseldorf (2014), at the Museo de Arte Contemporneo de Monterrey (MARCO) (2011), at the Hayward Gallery in London (2009), at the Museum of Modern Art (EMMA) in Espoo (2008), at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul (2008), at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo (2008), and at the Muse national d’art moderne – Centre Pompidou in Paris (2007).
