Histoires de pierres

From prehistoric times till present day, artists have always been inspired by the eccentric beauty of stones. While they can be useful tools, these curious minerals have delighted the eyes of artists for centuries, if not millennials. In this book, stones become “political”, “poetic” and even “sacred”: through a bright selection of over 230 works, readers discover the fundamental place of stone in the history of art.

Roger Caillois, the philosopher whose love for stones permeates this book, once said: “I speak of stones that are older than life itself, and that remain on cooled planets after it.” Histoires de Pierres (translating to “Stories of Stones”), comprises a wide array of stories celebrating the singular relationship between the captivating appeal of stones and the wondrous imagination of artists throughout time.

From the oldest rock to have emerged from the earth’s crust to the first stone to be collected – 3 million years ago! – by the “man” of Makapansgat; from crystal architecture to sacred stones; from scenic rocks to those that arm the most destitute of men in times of rebellion: the history of mankind unfolds in these pages and bears witness to the impossibility of measuring time.

Above all, this book is an ode to the beauty of images and to photographic production. Divided into seven main chapters scattered with literary, scientific and poetic texts, Histoires de Pierres allows us to discover – or rediscover – works from all eras and in all types of media:

I – Stones that have always lain outside: Jean Dubuffet, Auguste Rodin, Evariste Richer, Dove Allouche, Constantin Brancusi, Louis Daguerre, Charlotte Perriand, Fernand Léger, Giuseppe Penone, John Ruskin, Vija Celmins, Alexandre Isidore Leroy de Barde, Ugo Rondinone, Alicja Kwade, Stéphane Thidet, Julian Charrière, Tatiana Trouvé, Gabriel Orozco.

II – The “avaricious” architecture of crystals: André Breton, Pablo Picasso, Brassaï, Damien Hirst, Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, Wenzel Hablik, Juliette Agnel, Albert Renger-Patszch, Lyonel Feininger, Edouard Riou, Jean-Baptiste Louis Romé de L’Isle, Étienne Chambaud, Joseph Sima

III – The invincible lure of analogy: le Facteur Cheval, Aurélien Froment, George Sand, John Cage, Erik Dietman, Antoine Bourdelle, Pieter Hugo, Edward Weston, Jean-Claude Ruggirello, Jean-Michel Sanejouand, Pierre-Luc-Charles Ciceri, Juva, Il Beccafumi, Abdelkader Benchamma, Antonio Tempesta, Sigismondo Laire.

IV – Some stones are divine: ancient Indian, Etruscan and Gallic statuary, Giorgio Vasari, Victor Brauner, Henry Moore, Albrecht Dürer, Jean-Michel Alberola, Francesco Francia, Luca Signorelli, Carl Gustav Carus, Victor Brauner, Nicolas Dipre, Gioacchino Assereto, Hans Baldung Grien, Rose Salane.

V – Stones of rebellion: Gilles Caron, Guido Reni, Meret Oppenheim, Robert Filliou, Esther Ferrer, Éric Feferberg, Wolfgang Mattheuer.

VI – Stones that are older than life itself: Ana Mendieta, Paul Klee, Sim Chi Yin, Kapwani Kiwanga, Robert Smithson, Laura Grisi, Jacques Grison, Jimmie Durham, Hercules Pietersz Seghers, Jean-Pierre Houël.

VII – Stones that are alone to exist on our stars: Richard Long, Andrea Branzi, Sabine Mirlesse, Agnieszka Kurant, Parviz Kimiavi, Lucien Pelen, Gino De Dominicis, Théo Mercier.