“… my art is not an escape from everyday reality, but a song against fear.”

Françoise Gilot

Françoise Gilot, who passed away this summer at the age of 101, stood as one of the legendary figures and outstanding artists of the 20th century. In addition to her eight-decade career as a painter, she authored numerous books on art theory, published and illustrated poetry books, taught at the university, and designed sets and costumes for dance performances. The exhibition “Rising Phoenix” at the Kunsthalle stands as the most comprehensive presentation of the artist’s work to date.

Gilot often likened her creative method of building images with colours and shapes to composing music. Music and dance served as significant sources of inspiration for her. Krisztina Kovács, the curator of the exhibition and art director of the co-organizing institution, Várfok Gallery, emphasizes the importance of dialogue between the arts and frequently organizes contemporary music concerts closely linked to Várfok Gallery exhibitions. For this special occasion, works by five composers will be performed on five instruments – piano, violin, cello, flute, clarinet – in the classic ‘Pierrot ensemble’. Spanning different generations, the composers have created works intricately linked to Gilot’s images in various ways. The program unfolds with an older piano piece by Barnabás Dukay, composed in honour of Françoise Gilot, setting the tone at the beginning of the program. Subsequently, Krisztina Kovács, the curator of the exhibition, will delve into an insightful discussion on Gilot’s paintings and the artist’s profound relationship with music. Following this, János Bali, the curator of the music programme, will provide an introductory talk, offering perspectives on the works within the tradition of Transparent Sound. Noëmi Haffner’s two-movement composition, created for this event, will bring to life the essence of two of Gilot’s paintings displayed in the exhibition—namely, “Dance of Shadow and Light” and “Bodies in Movement.”Judit Varga’s window series, although not a direct reflection on Gilot, emerged during the challenging times of the Covid epidemic. This piece ingeniously breaks the confines by looking outward. Its gestures, approach, and scale align seamlessly with the thematic context of the exhibition. Adding to the rich tapestry of the concert, the wind duet by Marko Vesić and the ensemble piece by Máté Balogh were both composed for this occasion. These compositions evoke Gilot’s fascination with the exotic and her desire to traverse distant worlds through artistic expression. The event is a collaboration between the Transparent Sound New Music Festival, the Kunsthalle and the Várfok Gallery.

Supported by the National Cultural Fund