In 1950, following the commission of Father Jean Devémy and Father Couturier, Germaine Richier conceived a Christ on the cross for the choir of the Notre-Dame-de-tout-Grâce Church in the Plateau d'Assy in Haute-Savoie. This church, a veritable work, already contains works by Marc Chagall, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Marguerite Huré, etc. Richier’s work is of a confusing modernity, because it succeeds in merging Christ and his cross in a perfect symbiosis of bronze. Like a knotted branch, Christ sculpted by the artist expresses a rare pain.
© DRAC ARA - HRCM -Lili Davenas
Christ caused scandal after the inauguration of the church. He was considered blasphemous by part of the French Catholic community. The camps are very strongly opposed to what can and cannot be represented. On April 1, 1951, Bishop Cesbron of Annecy had Christ removed from the church. Germaine Richier, a Catholic and believer, is deeply shocked. The work, initially stored, is hung in a side chapel of the church. Christ regained his place in 1969, ten years after the artist’s death, and was listed as a historical monument in 1971.
© DRAC ARA - HRCM -Lili Davenas
The Christ on the Cross, still preserved in the church, was requested on loan by the Centre Pompidou (1 March – 12 June 2023), as well as by the Fabre Museum in Montpellier, where the exhibition will subsequently be presented (12 July – 5 November 2023). Richier’s Christ has never been exhibited in a museum so far.
© DRAC ARA - HRCM -Lili Davenas
Following a state observation made by a metal restorer, and faced with the discovery of a widely open joint, the Regional Conservation of Historic Monuments, in charge of the scientific and technical control of the loan, recommended a splint and a specific box so as not to endanger the work during its movement. The sculpture was treated to improve the conditions of preservation of the metal and to restore a homogeneous appearance to the entire surface of the work.
© DRAC ARA - HRCM -Lili Davenas
The installation in the hall of Christ was the object of a precise look by the curators, in order to ensure its good presentation and its safety. Dusted and cleaned, Christ has recovered his former lustre.
To see it, go to the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris until June 12.
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