RALPH GIBSON • VU, IMPRÉVU

OFF-SITE EXHIBITION AT THE VENET FOUNDATION
CURATED BY THIERRY BIGAIGNON
EXHIBITION FROM MAY 22 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2025
OPENING: SATURDAY 12 JULY 2025

We are pleased to present an outstanding exhibition at the Venet Foundation, located in Le Muy (South of France). Set to celebrate the friendship and genius of three major art figures, Arman, Ralph Gibson and Bernar Venet, this exhibition which dialogues with the vibrant tribute to Arman curated by Bernar Venet, spotlights Ralph Gibson’s unique series Vu, Imprévu through which he revisited fifteen of his most iconic photographs… in music!

In the vibrant art scene of 1960s and 1970s New York, Arman, Ralph Gibson, and Bernar Venet forged a rich friendship rooted in experimentation and creative boldness. Together, they transcended sculpture, photography and conceptual art through an ongoing artistic dialogue. Their deep connection nourished their individual work and helped shape the innovative spirit of contemporary art at the time.

In 2017, after spending several hours with Ralph Gibson in his New York studio, Thierry Bigaignon realized that music was just as important to Gibson as photography, and had been for over 70 years! He naturally proposed a project which would combine his two life-long passions. The concept was simple: to propose the Master to select about fifteen iconic and deeply personal images and compose an original music for each one. Ralph Gibson embraced the challenge, and less than two years later, the Vu, Imprévu series was born.

Celebrated for his groundbreaking visual vocabulary in the 1970s with his Black Trilogy —The Somnambulist (1970), Déjà-Vu (1973), and Days at Sea (1974)— Ralph Gibson is also a talented guitarist. He discovered the guitar at age 13 and picked up a camera four years later. Since then, he has remained an eternal apprentice, believing there is always more to learn from both instruments. This exhibition offers art enthusiasts and collectors a unique opportunity to explore another facet of the American master’s genius, to revisit some of Gibson's most iconic photographs from a completely new perspective. The selected photographs, taken between 1968 and 1990, are each paired with a piece of music, specially composed, performed, and recorded by the artist in his New York studio.

For Ralph Gibson, “music is a universal language, and every work of art strives to emulate it. Close your eyes, and a photograph becomes no more than an abstract memory. Music, on the other hand, cannot be ignored. Ears have no eyelids”.  

The exhibition is accompanied by a beautiful book published by IKKI Books. In addition, a music album will be released by Melmax-Bigaignon on October 24, 2025, on all streaming platforms!