Chauvin, L'Ombre Atomique

On the occasion of the Brussels Photos Festival, Atelier Jespers is pleased to announce its new exhibition "Jean Chauvin – L'ombre atomique", curated by Tim Onderbeke with the support and collaboration of Victor Guénard.

The exhibition highlights the photography and abstract sculptures of the modern artist Jean Chauvin. Born in 1889 in France, he studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs and the École des Beaux-Arts, where he attended the studio of sculptor Antonin Mercié. He exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants and participated in the stone carving of the Frise de la danse alongside Joseph Bernard, before devoting himself to abstract sculpture. The artist exhibited alongside Brancusi, Arp and Zadkine in the 1950s, and represented France at the Venice Biennale in 1962.

When Tim Onderbeke discovered the photographs taken by Jean Chauvin of his own sculptures, he seized the opportunity to exhibit them in the modernist house of Atelier Jespers. Photography sculpts the light, giving a new dimension to the works. He collaborated with the Belgian marble workshop Vande Whege Stones, which provided raw stones to showcase the exhibited pieces.

The exhibition was held as part of the Brussels Photos Festival, from November 20, 2020 to March 27, 2021.

Publication produced on the occasion of the exhibition: Jean Chauvin, The Atomic Shadow, Tim Onderbeke and Victor Guénard, MER. Paper Kunsthalle, 2021.