28November202631October2027
Exhibition: Art Is a Conquest – André Malraux and Modern Art, from Degas to Zao Wou-Ki
The Saturday 28 November
MuMa – Musée d'art moderne André Malraux 76600 LE HAVRE
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of André Malraux’s death, MuMa pays tribute to the author of The Psychology of Art (La Psychologie de l’art) and The Metamorphosis of the Gods (La Métamorphose des dieux), whose vision helped transform our understanding of art.
Discovered during his teenage years, the Impressionist painters — Cézanne, Degas, Manet, Monet, Pissarro and Van Gogh — had a profound influence on the young Malraux and shaped his thinking on modern art. He later placed their works alongside those of great European and Far Eastern masters, illustrating his conviction that “we can only perceive through comparison”.
Throughout his life, André Malraux also maintained a fruitful dialogue with the artistic world of his time. His friendship with the painter and engraver Démétrios Galanis was the first of several significant relationships.
This intellectual and artistic kinship, founded on a shared commitment to creative excellence, was renewed through his connections with other major figures, including André Masson, Jean Fautrier, Georges Rouault, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. By supporting these contemporary artists, Malraux became not merely an engaged witness, but a decisive figure in securing recognition for modern art — both as a visionary writer and as Minister of Culture, committed to enriching the nation’s shared artistic heritage.
The exhibition at MuMa pays tribute to this distinctive vision. It celebrates the modern aesthetic that Malraux championed so passionately, explores the friendships that helped shape his thinking, and highlights his essential role in building France’s artistic heritage
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Exhibition: Art Is a Conquest – André Malraux and Modern Art, from Degas to Zao Wou-Ki
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