Agnès Thurnauer. Aliénor l'Ouragane

Published to accompany the exhibition "Agnès Thurnauer. Aliénor l'Ouragane", to be held at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Fontevraud from 1 April to 16 July 2023, curated by Dominique Gagneux (Museum Director) and Gatien du Bois (Project Manager).  

Agnès Thurnauer wanted to link the figure of Aliénor d'Aquitaine, who is very present at the abbey, with the sculpture L'ouragane by Germaine Richier, one of the museum's major artists. L’ouragane will leave the rooms to come and stand in the great nave of the Fontevraud abbey and confront the recumbent statue of Eleanor reading.  

The book includes the three series presented: Big-big and Bang-bang, preparatory drawings and Prédelles - alongside works from the collection. The result is a conversation between complementary principles: verticality/horizontality, light/dark, intellectual/telluric, action-inaction, instant/eternity... 

The artist has invited 4 authors: Marie Darrieusecq, Hélène Giannecchini, Anne Kawala and Tiphaine Samoyault to write a text about Aliénor d'Aquitaine, a well-known but nebulous figure, echoing her encounter with L'Ouragane. In an inaugural performance, the texts were read in turn by the four women walking around the two sculptures. The illustrations in the book were taken during the event.