Christian Boltanski

The historical events that have accompanied Christian Boltanski's life - such as the end of the Great War and the liberation of Paris - mark all of his work. As a fourteen-year old, he devoted himself to painting. At 27, he gained recognition for exhibitions at Sonnabend Gallery in 1971 and Documenta in Kassel in 1972, and continued to distinguish himself in the international scene with a series of exhibitions in the United States that began in 1987, travelling to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and then, in the 1990s, to numerous European museums. In the early 2000s, Boltanski turns to large-scale installations and participates in sound installations. It is also in this period that he begins his Heart Archives project (Archives Du Coeur). His installations become more complex with the use of sound as movement. Boltanski's works are an affirmation of total artwork, l'Art Total. During much of his life, he devoted himself to teaching and he produced more than 100 books of various artists. Christian Boltanski lives and works in Malakoff, outside Paris, but spends most of his time travelling to create new projects around the world. LINK christian-boltanski