'Camata' (2024) by Pierre Huyghe, on display in the 'Clair-obscur' exhibition at the Bourse de commerce – Pinault Collection, Paris, March 2026. NICOLAS BRASSEUR/ADAO ANDO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES, NINEY ET MARCA ARCHITECTES/AGENCE PIERRE-ANTOINE GATIER
Naming an exhibition is never simple, especially when it brings together multiple artists – 27 in this case – some living, some deceased, with strikingly diverse styles. The title needs to be memorable, impactful and enticing – or at least not off-putting. That may be why the Pinault Collection's new exhibition is called "Clair-obscur," a familiar term from painting. Yet this show is not about the shadowy works of Caravaggio or Rembrandt; a more accurate title might have been "Art and Death" or "The Art of Disaster."
That is precisely what is at stake in this display of nearly 100 works, almost all drawn from the collection. It is commendable that such a difficult subject is addressed on such a broad scale; though it might be ever-present, death feels especially relevant in these times marked by destruction and hatred. By reaching back to the interwar period, the exhibition also highlights the historical continuity of these themes, casting an even darker shadow over the reflections it elicits.
