Sortir du bois. À la Lisière du Style Sapin at La Chaux-de-Fonds
30/01/2022 > 29/05/2022
This exhibition proposes to show the works of artists less often shown in the context of the Sapin Style, to explore the ramifications of Art Nouveau in La Chaux-de-Fonds through the objects that have survived from a past that has sometimes mistreated it. It presents the material survivals – drawings, studies, ceramics, textile works – of the decade during which Charles L’Eplattenier and his pupils adapted to the particularities of the Jura’s fauna and flora stylistic processes of observation and synthesis of nature, which were in vogue throughout Europe at the time, and tried to apply their plastic progress to the industrial and decorative arts and to architecture. By clarifying the contours of less authoritative figures, the production of a wider group of artists who shaped the Sapin Style and yet remained invisible for more than a century is brought to light. Not surprisingly, there are several women artists, but also artists whose work has been little studied or whose presence in La Chaux-de-Fonds at the beginning of the last century has remained unknown.
Coming out of the woodwork means appearing in the open, revealing oneself, leaving one’s reserve. Thus, the museum is participating in a showcase of the work of artists such as Sophie L’Eplattenier, Marie-Louise Goering, Henriette Grandjean, René Chapallaz or Charles-Clos Olsommer, by proposing to confront them with contemporary visions: a scenographic installation by the artist Mehryl Levisse or a proposal by the Lamarche-Ovize duo.
