Philippe De Gobert begins by constructing the model of a place either imagined or inspired by an existing space, often an artist’s workshop or an emblematic piece of architecture. He tends to choose sober, spartan and luminous interiors.
The model is then placed on a stand in the studio to be lit in the same way as one would light a cinema set. Following the rules of architecture photography, he produces an image which is then printed in large format in black and white.
Philippe De Gobert: Ateliers( workshop) is the artist’s first solo exhibition with Galerie Alice Mogabgab. The exhibition is curated by Michel Baudson and presents two sets of photographs; the first from 2010, inspired by a painting of a Dutch interior from the 17th century, shows a series of doors and almost empty rooms, in which the light magnifies the infinite space; the theme of the second set is New York studios, freely inspired by, for example, Donald Judd’s loft or an Edward Hopper painting, accentuating the strange atmosphere or the light of a sunny morning, with a view over the city’s rooftops. A model of each space/subject is also presented, to remind us of the scale of the original.
Philippe De Gobert was born in Brussels in 1946 into a family of artists. After studying the classics, although in a somewhat chaotic fashion, he turned his attention to photography, learning the technique in advertising studios. At the same time, starting in 1967, he embarked on a career as a sculptor, showing his work regularly in galleries. In 1978 he began the series Artists’ Rooms, the subject of a solo exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-Arts. These sculptures-models were subsequently exhibited in several European cities, in both art galleries and prestigious institutions.
In 1995, the Centre d’art Contemporain in Brussels presented the first photographic prints of De Gobert’s studios together with several models.
1998 marks the beginning of the artist’s collaboration with the Galerie Aline Vidal, leading to a string of solo exhibitions in the Paris gallery (1998, 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2011), as well as exhibits at international art fairs such as FIAC (1999) and Paris-Photo (2017 et 2019), and contributed to the retrospective exhibition at the Musée des Arts Contemporains du Grand-Hornu in 2017, entitled De toutes pièces.
A booklet with a text by Michel Baudson, published by Galerie Alice Mogabgab in four languages, French, Dutch, English and Arabic, accompagnies the exhibition.
Michel Baudson is Honorary Director of the Académie royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles – Ecole supérieure des Arts, Honorary President of the Association belge des critiques d’art, president of the organisation Jeunesse et Arts plastiques, member of the Commission consultative des Arts plastiques de la Communauté française de Belgique, Visiting Professor at the Xi’An Academy of Fine Arts (Shaanxi, China), member of the AICA (International Association of Art Critics) and of the Icom (International Commission of Museums), curator of international exhibitions and the author of numerous publications.
Philippe de Gobert – Studio journeys
5 September – 26 October 2019
Gallery Alice Mogabgab
Rivoli – Chaussée de Waterloo 690 – Space 28
BE-1180 Brussels, Belgium
