Marking the 40th anniversary of Galerie Chantal Crousel, this extensive publication of over 700 pages looks back at the history of the gallery, considered as a major actor in the contemporary art scene, both in France and abroad. To accompagny its release, a selection of the archives is available Swear That You'll Play dedicated webpage.
The book opens with a double interview of more than one hundred pages. It was conducted by Philippe Vergne, director of the Serralves Foundation in Porto, first with Chantal Crousel, then with Niklas Svennung. Both talk about their conception of a gallerist’s work, their critical commitments, and their admiration for the artists they work with. Chantal Crousel looks back on her childhood in Belgium, studying art history, meeting Christian Dotremont, opening La Dérive—her very first gallery—and the origins of what was to become, after several years of collaboration, Galerie Chantal Crousel. Niklas Svennung focuses more specifically on the last ten years of the gallery’s life and his desire to shape its evolution by turning towards a new generation of international artists.
These discussions are followed by a vast collection of images which features a very large part of the exhibitions that have taken place at Galerie Chantal Crousel.It includes works by Absalon, Mona Hatoum, Glenn Ligon, Jean-Luc Moulène, Gabriel Orozco, Anri Sala, Danh Vo and all those who have spent part of their journey with the gallery: Tony Cragg, Cindy Sherman or Sophie Calle.
Two personal and complementary approaches—one by Patricia Falguières, the other by Alexandre Constanzo—close this visual chronology by focusing on the critical reception of the artists represented by the gallery. Having gone through these seven hundred pages, the readers will have a clear vision of this historic gallery’s evolution, be familiar with the various shapes and spaces the gallery has known, and—it is our hope—be able to come up with their own definition, after having demystified it, of a gallerist’s work.
Interviews with Chantal Crousel and Niklas Svennung conducted by Philippe Vergne
Texts by Patricia Falguières and Alexandre Costanzo
Graphic design: Dune Lunel Studio
French version — also available in English
Hardcover with a dust jacket, 21 x 28 cm, 712 pp. (color and b&w ill.)
ISBN: 979-10-97544-00-3