Written images blur the lines

Yang Jiecang's calligraphic work "I Still Remember".

The curators placed classic French engravings of The Conquests of the Emperor of China commissioned by Emperor Kangxi in the 18th century alongside paintings of colored warriors by contemporary Chinese artist Zhao Xuebing.

Nine pieces of giant calligraphic works by Chinese artist Yang Jiecang are placed opposite the anonymous print creation based on the novel In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. The seven-volume literary classic was printed on one single sheet of cotton paper, in such tiny letters that the text is reduced to nothing but a light gray surface.

The curators say the juxtaposition of traditional and contemporary art works provides an interesting contrast for visitors, expanding and enriching the message of the artworks.

The museum gives guided tours at 2 pm every Sunday during the exhibition. No reservation is needed. Frogier will lead the tour in French on May 18. Most of the other tours will be in Chinese, except on June 15, when Gu Ling will speak English.

A series of lectures about art and literature are given during the exhibition. On the evening of June 27, French novelist Frederic Beigbeder, author of Windows on the World, will have an open dialogue with Yuan Xiaoyi, a translator of French literature in Chinese. The dialogue will be given in French and Chinese, on the subject of "the evolution of French novel since the early 20th century".