Galerie Nathalie Obadia opened in 1993. The gallery has had successive exhibitions of Valérie Favre (*1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, Musée de Picardie, Musée de Salamanque, Kunsthalle Munster 2002), Pascal Pinaud (*1993, 1995, 1999, 2003, MAMCO Geneva, 2001) and Carole Benzaken (*1993, 1996, 1998, 2002, Fondation Cartier 1994, CAPC Bordeaux, 1999), all three young French artists, now recognized as among the most interesting of their generation, whose exhibitions (solo and group) in museums have allowed a better understanding of their work. Each of them has developed in a very original way new ways in painting.
Very soon foreign artists, emerging in the early 90s and now recognized, were showed for the first time in France: Jessica Stockholder (American, *1995, 2001, CAPC Bordeaux 2003), Fiona Rae (English, *1994, 2001, Carré d'Art de Nîmes, 2002), Beatriz Milhazes (Brazilian, *1998, Pavilion of Brazil, Venice Biennale 2003), Manuel Ocampo (Filipino-American, *1995, 1998, 2002, Kunsmuseum Augsburg, 2003).
Galerie Nathalie Obadia, based in Paris, has been instrumental in promoting their careers throughout Europe, organizing exhibitions in institutions and bringing important works into museums and private collections.
Wim Delvoye (*2002), Jean-Marc Bustamante (*1999, 2002) and Albert Oelhen (*1998, 2000, 2002) joined the gallery in 1999. Wim Delvoye's exhibition "Vitraux" at the gallery, transformed into a chapel, is one of the artist's most audacious exhibitions. The Musée National d'Art Moderne has just acquired a group of important works by Wim Delvoye, (Belgian born in 1965). Jean-Marc Bustamante represents France in Venice for the 50th Biennale. His work, between photography, painting and sculpture, is one of the most original of international contemporary creation. The panorama of his exhibitions in American and European institutions shows his great international recognition. It was logical that Albert Oelhen (German born in 1957) joined the gallery, with Pascal Pinaud, Fiona Rae and Carole Benzaken, he continues the dialogue of abstract painting in perpetual movement. Also, Shirley Jaffe (* 1999, 2002, 80 years old, American living in Paris) shown at Jean Fournier for 30 years has joined the gallery. Nicola Tyson (English, *1997, 2001), Geneviève Cadieux (*2001, Venice Biennale, 1990, Canadian Pavilion), James Rielly (*1996, 2000) are with Valérie Favre closer to the preoccupation of the human figure, the place of the being in our society. It is for this reason that the gallery organized in *2000 the first solo exhibition in France of Ana Mendieta (1948-1985), a leading artist of Body Art who has influenced a large number of artists such as Cindy Sherman. It was also a way to show non-Western artists such as Manuel Ocampo, Beatriz Milhazes, Georges Adéagbo and Eliezer Sonnenschein, Israeli (*2003, the last exhibition of the rue du Grenier Saint-Lazare).
The 10th anniversary of the gallery allows us to think about the 10, 20, 30 years that will follow, always with the same demand for fidelity, curiosity and the will to defend personalities rather than trends. The gallery is pleased to welcome Bernard Piffaretti whose recent works will be exhibited in the spring of 2004.
* solo exhibitions at the Galerie Nathalie Obadia
