Place Jean FerratParis 11ePopincourt

PER KIRKEBY (1938-2018)

The Danish artist Per Kirkeby first saw the world through a scientist's eyes – as a geologist.

In the early 1960s, he participated in what Joseph Beuys called the "expansion of the concept of art" with performance art and films, and it was in this context that he found a connection to the art scene in Germany. He began painting in the wake of pop art through overpaintings that increasingly became more independent works. He made a name for himself in the world of sculpture with monumental structures creat-ed using brick, the traditional building material of Northern Europe. Based on his geological knowledge, he developed a structural concept of art in the 1980s, which he then transferred to the formal processes of painting and bronze sculpture. While the German artists of his generation only approached Romantic and Nordic art rather timidly, he was able to modernize these artistic traditions without reservation by drawing on his concept of nature. In his view, the conceptual element completely retreats behind a sensual genesis of form in the sense of natura naturans, which he always derives from the motif.

Per Kirkeby first showed brick works in Copenhagen’s Holbergsgade. This basement gallery was run by Peter Louis-Jensen for artists associated with the “Den eksper-imenterende Kunstskole” (Experimental Art School) in Copenhagen and was a meeting place for the Danish avant-garde. At the time, Kirkeby was intensively occupied with American Minimalism. Kirkeby here, in keeping with the goals of Minimal Art, succinctly demonstrates the elementary possibilities of working with bricks: the horizontal courses in the plane and the creation of a vertical by means of stacking.

Teh artist’s first brick architectural sculpture was commissioned by the Association of Property Owners in Denmark. Here, Kirkeby erected a small house with a door, two window openings and a hipped roof of bricks. From the start, the sculpture was also planned as a children’s playhouse. The rich ornamentation uses elements from traditional Danish brickbuilding as well as Mayan architecture.

Originating from minimal art in the mid-1960s but built in a material with strong symbolic load, these sculptures quickly escape the spirit of their time.

Initially conceived for museums and galleries, these ambiguous forms, borrowing from architecture its techniques and sometimes its scale, have, for many of them, found their place in the parks or streets of many cities in Europe, including in Germany, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries. Fine examples include the Hindenburgplatz in Münster, Germany; Jardin del Turia, Centro Julio Gonzalez – IVAM, Valencia, Spain; Nestlé Park, Vevey, Switzerland; Fjord at Breivikshögda, Norway; Sörhallskajen / Eriksberg, Göte; borg, Sweden; Middelheim Sculpture Park, Antwerp, Belgium; Humlebaek Train Station, Denmark; Kröller-Müller Museum, Otter-lo. The Netehrlands.

Per Kirkeby lived in Copenhagen and in Italy, and worked as a professor at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main between 1989 and 2000.

Proposal for Site Specific Work

The Place Jean Ferrat lays in the heart of Paris’ 11th Arrondisement. It is easily one of the most vivid and charming areas in the French capital today.

The Popincourt district is one of the most populated urban districts in the city of Paris, nestled between the Place de la Republique and the Place de la Bastille. It is known for its community feel with fashionable cafes, small boutiques, children’s playgrounds, markets and a metro station, and is emerging as one of the trendiest quartiers.Place Jean Ferrat is steeped in neighborhood charm and is an active public space with a steady flow of foot traffic year-round. It’s a space where people come together and rest for a minute to interact and engage with others while waiting for a bus, picking up a coffee, or taking in the neighborhood on a stroll.

The ability to beautify such a central place with an invigorating sculpture that is part land-art, part monument, part interactive site is an honor for the gallery who is proposing this work on behalf of the late artist Per Kirkeby and his Estate.

Per Kirkeby’s work is meant to be engaged with, so we chose a sculpture that is es-pecially accessible for pedestrians and art lovers alike. Per Kirkeby has installed numerous walkable sculptures over the decades and they are always met with great admiration, and easily accepted and adapted in their retrospective environments. Early in his career, Per Kirkeby introduced brick as an artistic medium and his large brick sculptures punctuate his entire oeuvre. While a hundred of these piec-es have been built, the archive of the artist possesses many unrealized plans for others.

This architectural sculpture features a square with four semi-circles, one protrud-ing higher than the other three of equal height. The proportions of this sculpture work perfectly for Place Jean Ferrat; its sightlines are visible from afar, but rather than a large totem, it makes the viewer curious to approach and learn more about it. At the same time, the scale of the sculpture is such that the area can still be used for daily activities without obstructing the actual traffic. On the con-trary: this sculpture invites pedestrians to linger and incorporate it into their stroll. Kids can play with it, people can rest and sit for a conversation. The warm material of the brick adapts to all seasons, and the purity of the square allows the sculpture to reference the surrounding architecture by being aligned with the four cardinal directions: the largest semi-circle facing East for the sunrise, cor-responding with the crossroads that encapsulate Place Jean Ferrat.

PER KIRKEBY“Lyon I”, 1987bricks, mortar, cement180 cm long x 180cm wide x 100 cm high

Lieu et adressePlace Jean Ferrat, 75011

Surface approximative et nature de l’espace disponibleEspace public d’environ 1 500 m²

PrécisionsEspace planté recevant de multiples éléments de mobilier urbain, candélabres, bancs, kiosque à journaux, abri voyageurs, sanisette, réceptacles de propreté, colonne Morris, colonne à verre et agrémenté de jardinières.

État du siteRevêtement dalles granit

DomanialitéPublique

Encombrement du sous-solChargé : se référer au plan joint.

PortanceA titre indicatif : 500kg /m²

Réglementations à respecterL’implantation devra respecter le PAVE (Plan de Mise en Accessibilité de la Voirie et des aménagements des espaces publics) pour les cheminements piétons. Dans les cas le nécessitant de par la nature de l’oeuvre, le porteur de projet mandatera un bureau d’études spécialisé pour déterminer les contraintes admissibles de l’oeuvre, en fonction de son implantation, orientation, prise au vent, charge etc…

Informations complémentaires Cet espace est situé au-dessus de la station de métro Ménilmontant. Une caméra de surveillance est présente au niveau de la bouche de métro sur la place. Pour ne pas obstruer l’angle filmé par la caméra, seront exclues les oeuvres opaques de dimension importante (en hauteur et largeur) dans ce périmètre.

Place Jean Ferrat, Paris 11e

“Münster-Hindenburgplatz I”, 1986 492 x 206 x 206 cm “Münster-Hindenburgplatz II”, 1986 50 x 403 x 403 cm Hindenbergplatz, Germany

“Melöy-Örnes”, 1992 Fjord at Breivikshögda, Norway 320 x 420 x 212 cm This sculpture is part of the project Artscape Nordland, a longterm art installation in which, over the years, 32 artists from 18 countries have taken part. Kirkeby himself selected this site; the sculpture is located directly beside the road on a narrow, graveled pass. Two high cubes formed out of a framework of corner piers connect at ninety degrees. The lower segmented arches are absent on the two chambers facing the road, allowing access from that side. The lower arches can be used as benches, transforming the open room into a resting place and vantage point for a magnificent landscape.

“Vevey”, 1991 Nestlé Corporation Park, Vevey, Switzerland 300 x 740 x 740 cm Upon the recommendation of a team of advisors which included Jean-Christophe Ammann and Kasper König, Per Kirkeby received the commission to erect a sculpture for the art collection of the Nestlé Corporation. The sculpture is located on the shore of Lake Geneva. Since the work would be predominantly viewed from the nearby administrative building, Kirkeby created the sculpture with barrel vaults, intending to give the work a more interesting view from above than his other sculptures that feature an open top. Four barrel vaults rest atop patterned squares, with a perpendicular vault in the center which allows for a view to the lakeshore. The vaults are just high enough to walk under their arches.

“Humlebaek”, 1994 Humlebaek Train Station, Humlebaek, Denmark 500 x 1343 x 479 cm This sculpture is located directly adjacent to the Humlebaek railway platform, and serves as a landmark for travelers to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, one of Denmark’s most important institutions. The rectangular structure is optically divided into an upper and lower story, although the inside of the structure does not feature a second floor. The long wall of the lower story is broken up into a series of nine arched openings that grant visibility through the entire structure. Inside, the archways from a geometric meander, mathematically divided into tripartite forms.

This two-part work was conceived for the exhibition Skulptur. Projekte in Münster 1987. Both works are located on a large lawn in front of the Institute of Zoology. The horizontal sculpture consists of a square platform, surrounded by four segmental arches. The eight low abutments are attached to the platform in such a way that the corners remain free, resulting in a cruciform plan. The nearby monolithic tower features stepped courses of bricks which create niches that are closed by arches. The bricks were specially manufactured by the local brick industry according to Kirkeby’s specifications.