KOEN VAN DEN BROEK, FIRMINY

The mini catalogue Firminy gathers 11 paintings on paper and an in situ installation by Koen Van den Broek, made for his eponymous solo exhibition at the Regent-Reychler gallery in Saignon, in the south of France. The paintings, that belong to a larger group of similar works on paper, are inspired by the Saint-Pierre church in Firminy designed by Le Corbusier, and carry the same spirit as the building in terms of light, volume and linearity. These works reveal the interesting and direct relation between architecture and the practice of van den Broek, who originally started an education as architect before studying visual arts. The in situ installation in the gallery is a permanent intervention and a life scale interpretation of two paintings, one by the artist himself and one by Henri Matisse, who had a direct relation to the environment of the south of France.