The dizzying collection of works in Le catalogue de Bâle (The Basel Catalogue) by Philippe Cognée is based on works that were shown at Art Basel. The French artist ripped pages out of catalogues from the prestigious art fair, covered any texts with white paint and copied the reproduction of a colleague’s work with thick, pasty paint strokes. The full series is on display at Voorlinden from 16 March to 9 June.
15 March to 9 June 2024
As a painter, you always paint ‘after’ of someone or something else, Philippe Cognée believes. Whether it is the technique, material or theme, you always pick up something from your predecessors. Perhaps you are influenced by the powerful brushstrokes of Rembrandt, you like to paint on wooden panels as was the norm in the Middle Ages or you seek the same harmony of lines, planes and colours as Mondrian did.
Each work that is part of the series Le catalogue de Bâle is based on a work of art depicted in a catalogue of Art Basel between 2003 and 2013. By replicating the work of his colleagues, Cognée presents a picture of a decade of the art market, brought back to identical size and depicted in the same style. He shows work by (now) internationally prominent artists and young, once promising talent that has since been forgotten. Among the painted-over copies, you will also find works from Voorlinden’s collection, including I promise to love you by Tracy Emin and Durchbruch durch Schwäche by Alicja Kwade.
By painting over the reproductions, Cognée gives back something of the original aura of these artworks that have been stripped of their body, material and texture in the catalogues.
Header image: Philippe Cognée, Le catalogue de Bâle, 2013-2015, collection museum Voorlinden