Dialogue Yves Lévêque & collection d’artistes

Address

15.11.2024 – 05.04.2025
Verbier – Rue de La Poste 16

30.01.2025 – 20.04.2025
Madrid – C. de Jorge Juan, 13
Paris – Le Meurice, Rue Castiglione 6

Download the press release

DIALOGUE

An itinerant exhibition at La Maison Valmont boutique

In 2025, La Maison Valmont will celebrate two major milestones: Valmont’s 40th anniversary and Fondation Valmont’s 10th anniversary. To mark the occasion, immerse yourself in the captivating world of DIALOGUE, an exhibition showcasing the works of painter Yves Lévêque and the sculptures from La Collection d’Artistes.

A must-see artistic encounter in 2025

DIALOGUE is a family story: that of the Guillons, guardians of a unique artistic heritage, and the figurative family of Fondation Valmont’s artists. This exhibition embodies a dialogue between Yves Lévêque, an iconic painter whose works reveal a symbiosis between art and nature, and Collection d’Artistes, a collection of contemporary works whose expression transcends the boundaries of materials and forms.

Yves Lévêque, with his hypnotic landscapes and vibrant tones, symbolizes one of the pillars of this artistic exchange—an ode to the earth and light. Collection d’Artistes, in turn, celebrates artistic expression through pieces such as La Mante by Isao Llorens Ishikawa and Rain Cage by Didier Guillon, enriching the exhibition with a diversity of perspectives and sensibilities.

This immersive experience intertwines past and present to tell a story of art, passion, and legacy. DIALOGUE is a tribute to creativity, where one—Yves Lévêque—engages in dialogue with the other—Collection d’Artistes—to craft an emotional and immersive journey through art, nature, and humanity.

Let yourself be carried away by the magic of art!

A journey to the heart of Art

In a universe where contemporary art meets the raw and unpredictable beauty of nature.

LEVEQUE LeBosquet 130x97 scaled 2450007 8688927. — *Le Bosquet, Yves Lévêque*

LEVEQUE PontNeuf 100x100 scaled 1880596 8173088. — *Le Pont Neuf, Yves Lévêque*

LEVEQUE LeDrapeau 92x73 scaled 3021140 9961122. — *Le Drapeau, Yves Lévêque*

Leveque LaFoule 92x73cm scaled 1924860 4124880. — *La Foule, Yves Lévêque*

LEVEQUE LeHangar 81x65 scaled 4533483 5673882. — *Le Hangar, Yves Lévêque*

Artists in the spotlight

Oeuvre 7 scaled 7626536 3693297. — *Rain Cage, Didier Guillon*

Oeuvre 8 scaled 4964875 8237340. — *Joys of Nature, Jane Le Besque*

Oeuvre 4 scaled 8470934 6189361. — *Venezia Crepa, Leonardo Cimolin*

Oeuvre 9 scaled 3350659 4283671. — *La Mante, Isao Llorens Ishikawa*

Oeuvre 1 scaled 4124238 4009082. — *Instant, Bénédicte Blanc-Fontenille*

Oeuvre 5 scaled 9404590 8062945. — *Masculin Féminin, Joan Gardy Artigas*

Jakub Flejšar

For the first time at Palazzo Bonvicini, rooms are metaphorically and physically intertwined to represent Jakub Flejšar’s and Pavel Roučka’s profound familial bond from a 360-degree perspective. Flejšar synthesizes this bond by placing a steel sculpture between his room and Roučka’s : a seated man, the artist himself, viscerally penetrates the space. This arrangement allows the visitor to discover, in Room 1, just a part of the whole. In the middle of the room, a large human figure is crouched down, gazing at the seated man, seemingly burdened by an inheritance too heavy to bear.
The sculptures are portraits of the artist at different stages of his life : before and after mastering the ability to maintain his complicity with Roučka without slipping into dependency. Complicity is a key concept in the Odyssey after all, as Telemachus plays a pivotal role in Ulysses’ attempt to reclaim power in Ithaca.

Pavel Roučka

Champ de Bataille unfolds as a moment of confrontation : Flejšar’s seated man, situated between the two rooms, deliberately turns his back on his stepfather’s paintings, preparing to make a bold decision. Though he understands his paternal figure’s work, he is finally ready to forge his own path.
At the centre of Room 2, two large paintings depict the key figures in Ithaca : Penelope, still and silent in the front like an observing matriarch ; Telemachus with Ulysses in the back, merging into a single entity – coinciding, sublimated, almost indistinguishable. This fusion raises a striking question : can the son ever truly break free, or is he destined to carry his father’s legacy forever ? This duality is at the heart of Champ de Bataille – a revolutionary battlefield in transformation.
Flanking this central vision, a series of scenes unfold like a protective embrace in Room 2. Telemachus appears in different stages of his journey – fighting, questioning himself, and ultimately triumphing. Father and son cannot stand as rivals but as figures entwined in the same struggle, navigating the fine line between lineage and self-determination.

Maxence Guillon

In Room 3 Maxence Guillon’s installation The Virtuous Circle explores his journey as both a man and a son, following in the footsteps of his father, Didier Guillon. This path is initially represented by a red carpet, symbolizing the invisible presence of the artist, guided and protected by his father. As the carpet turns to a brownish tone, the scene shifts to a contemporary arena, where a multimedia installation replaces the physical presence of ancient Roman spectators. In front of the towering arena, a classic-style sculpture with Maxence’s features performs like a gladiator.
The digital presence of Didier Guillon silently judges his son’s performance — eternally watching from his ever-present/absent televised form. If Didier Guillon replaces the physical spectators of ancient Rome, actual visitors are invited to sit in front of Maxence on a special seat, taking on the role of his father. Maxence’s journey, such as Telemachus’ journey, mirrors the universal human experience of navigating an adventure made possible only through the awareness of his father’s heritage.

Didier Guillon

For Room 4, Didier Guillon has chosen to present two anatomical drawings of his great-great-grandfather, Alphonse Lami, printed on towering, monolithic totems that stand as monumental echoes of the past. These sculptures anchor the works in the present, linking several generations across time. Above these totems, the word dream glows in luminous, incandescent letters, translated into ten different languages. This universal term transcends linguistic and cultural barriers, embodying the shared human experience of aspiration and courage.
The installation En dessous des rêves invites us to reflect
on the essential role of dreams in shaping our future. Without dreams, it becomes impossible to draw from the past the
heritage needed to navigate the present and, above all, to gaze towards the unknown horizon.
As the final room of the exhibition, this space closes the
virtuous circle, inviting the viewer to reflect on how heritage shapes not only the past but also the future. Much like Telemachus’ journey reaching its conclusion, this room serves as a culmination, uniting the themes of legacy, transformation, and self-discovery. It leaves the viewer with a sense of resolution and potential.

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