Jean Cortot (1925-2018) was an illustrator and painter who loved words. 120 of his artist books were recently donated to the French national library (BNF) by his widow, some of which can be seen in this new free exhibition not far from our hotels!

Mixing text and painting, the drawings of Jean Cortot are colourful – still lifes, landscapes showing the Ardèche region… – but they often require careful scrutiny in order to reveal all their secrets.

Cortot was fascinated by the various different systems for written text around the world, and through the course of his artistic career he integrated these different texts into his work, starting with invented styles, but soon adding letters, words and eventually extracts of literary works. He called this style ‘cacography’, similar to calligraphy, but voluntarily more abstract, requiring the reader to decrypt the meaning.

The exhibition at the BNF presents not only his enigmatic drawings, but also letters, paintings and photos to help you discover the world of the artist and how he created his works, giving a glimpse into his workshop, for example.

The presentation is in four main sections, showing:

— his training,

— his research,

— his ‘painted writings’, and

— the works created together with other artists.

For many, this will be the first time discovering his work, and it’s free, so why not go and check it out!

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The exhibition Jean Cortot, painter of words is in the Donators gallery at the BNF (here) from 21st September – 7th November 2021

Open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am-7pm, and 1-7pm Sundays

Proof of vaccination obligatory

Entrance: free!

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What3Words ///gave.question.hunt