Francesco Vezzoli sings a new song for one night only at the Centre Pompidou

A night at the museum collided with a night at the opera last week in Paris thanks to Francesco Vezzoli and the Amis du Centre Pompidou. As a continuation of the festivities marking the Centre Pompidou’s 40th anniversary, the Friends of the Museum gave carte blanche to the Italian artist, who turned the fifth floor permanent collection into a series of fantastic tableaux vivants.
To achieve his one-off Opéra Pompidou, Vezzoli recruited 12 singers and 10 musicians from the Académie de l’Opéra national de Paris, assigning each pair a familiar aria or nostalgic song that they performed in the presence of a modern masterwork. He called up pal and patron Miuccia Prada to costume his dramatis personæ, a diverse group that included Gertrude Stein, Elvis Presley and Anne Boleyn. He asked the ever-charming choreographer Stephen Galloway to nudge a little extra frisson out of the moment. And he reached out to M/M Paris to conceive a limited-edition libretto and poster. Amid all the events organised to seize on people in town for FIAC, this one was a work of art in its own right.
And it was engaging in all respects. Guests dashed from performance to performance, catching a street style Arlequin singing ‘O sole mio next to Matisse’s Luxe, calme et volupté (1904) only to discover a reincarnation of Robert de Montesquiou, the dashing early 20th-century bon vivant, serenading people with Verdi’s La donna è mobile beside Francis Picabia’s smiling nudes with a bulldog and André Derain’s portrait of his wife, Alice (a cheeky staging, to be sure).
By placing the Elvis-like character against the backdrop of Andy Warhol’s portraits of Elizabeth Taylor, where he sung Maria from West Side Story, Vezzoli dialled up the camp (Galloway coaxed a hip swizzle from tenor Juan de Dios Mateos), while mezzo-soprano Farrah El Dibany in the role of Madame de Pompidour seduced the crowd with an enchanting rendition of Bizet’s Carmen sung to Picasso’s Harlequin (1915).
The mood turned sober as Danylo Matviienko’s Jean Cocteau ended Tchaikovsky’s Again, as before, alone by taking the knee in the shadow of André Masson’s Gradiva (1939). In a sumptuously black coat and heels embellished with feathers, singer Jeanne Ireland – taking on the role of the late Luisa Casati – held her own against Niki de Saint Phalle’s outsized plaster bride.
As each took their turn, the alto and soprano voices echoed through the dimmed galleries, which only further animated the art. Giacometti’s long nosed sculpture looked as though he were smiling along with the activity; the colours of a Kandinsky seemed to vibrate as though channeling the violin.
Costumes were provided by Prada. Here, singer Jeanne Ireland plays the Marquise Luisa Casati in a black A/W 2007 coat.
At once intimate, inspired and indulgent, it was Vezzoli at his theatrical best. And while he proved difficult to locate in the moment, more present later during the after-party, Galloway happened to be on hand and graciously steered me through the sequence, offering some intel along the way. Rehearsals in the space, for instance, only began two days before the show.
Having collaborated once before with Vezzoli for a performance featuring Lady Gaga and the Bolshoi Ballet at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, he noted how the setting here introduced a completely different dynamic. ‘When you come into an established space like this, all the preparation you can have is just the understanding that it is all going to change,’ he said, as we passed Vezzoli’s living version of Ingres’ Madame de Moitessier (1844–1856) in a draped floral gown, soprano Angelique Boudeville, who later sang Puccini. ‘It’s the luxury of these types of situations versus a staged theatre situation; you can build it from the beginning.’
To signal the finale, Bernard Blistène, director of the Musée National d’art Moderne sang a lively duet with the museum’s head conservator Véronique Sorano-Stedman. That these esteemed figures could carry a tune with such talent no doubt surprised the crowd. Quite simply, Vezzoli pulled off a brilliant celebration in which every moment felt surreal.
The performances were staged against the Centre Pompidou’s collection
Left, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’ Madame de Moitessier (1844–1856) was brought to life by soprano Angelique Boudeville. Right, costumes were provided by Prada
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Société des Amis du Musée National d’art moderne Centre Pompidou website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressing
Part of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
By Orla Brennan
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationship
Announcing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
By Hugo Macdonald
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craft
The heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
By Cristina Kiran Piotti
-
Contemporary artist collective Poush takes over Château La Coste
Members of Poush have created 160 works, set in and around the grounds of Château La Coste – the art, architecture and wine estate in Provence
By Amy Serafin
-
‘David Hockney 25’: inside the artist’s blockbuster Paris show
‘David Hockney 25’ has opened at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. Wallpaper’s Hannah Silver took a tour of the colossal, colourful show
By Hannah Silver
-
Jack White's Third Man Records opens a Paris pop-up
Jack White's immaculately-branded record store will set up shop in the 9th arrondissement this weekend
By Charlotte Gunn
-
‘The Black woman endures a gravity unlike any other’: Pharrell Williams explores diverse interpretations of femininity in Paris
Pharrell Williams returns to Perrotin gallery in Paris with a new group show which serves as an homage to Black women
By Amy Serafin
-
What makes fashion and art such good bedfellows?
There has always been a symbiosis between fashion and the art world. Here, we look at what makes the relationship such a successful one
By Amah-Rose Abrams
-
Architecture, sculpture and materials: female Lithuanian artists are celebrated in Nîmes
The Carré d'Art in Nîmes, France, spotlights the work of Aleksandra Kasuba and Marija Olšauskaitė, as part of a nationwide celebration of Lithuanian culture
By Will Jennings
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this week
Investing in quality knitwear, scouting a very special pair of earrings and dining with strangers are just some of the things keeping the Wallpaper* team occupied this week
By Bill Prince
-
Tom Wesselmann’s enduring influence on pop art goes under the spotlight in Paris
‘Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann &...’ is on view at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris until 24 February 2025
By Ann Binlot