From April 10th to June 13th 2015, the Galerie Maeght will be exhibiting of the works of Marco De Re : « Songes et Mensonges » (« Dreams and Lies »). Composed of 30 oil paintings and 48 linocuts that have been developped through the medium of oil paint, this exhibition shows how Del Re questions himself and his responsabilities as an artist, by being confronted by his works and his model.
Encounter his techniques, encounter free interpretation of colour. Throughout four different models of linocuts, which are given life through the use of white brushstrokes on a black background, Marco Del Re reinvents his own works with a transition into oil painting. In this exhibition, the Galerie Maeght artist throws us into the center of conflict : black juxtaposing with colour, lines conflicting with medium. In this quarrel seen time and time again throughout the history of painting, Marco Del Re diverts from giving in to the potential artistic chaos and chooses instead a path of pacification and joy. Knowing this, the conflict then becomes clear, creating for us a dialogue between drawing and painting. In certain works, the black creates a melancholic feel, becoming the ironic companion of light and colour. The forms become linked with the material, surpassing the conflict with intimacy and tenderness. The peace between these two hostile counterparts does not deter Marco Del Re from the potential for profound restlessness, which is the responsibility of the subconscious.
The responsibilty of the dreamer-painter. His work concentrates on the vision of the history of art. Marco Del Re rejects the existence of the dream to pursue his own « awakened dream ». He asks himself, « Where is the dream ? Where is the lie ? Is it the painter who dreams or is it the painting ? » For the first time, the paintings of Marco Del Re, without modesty, ask: What is the role of the artist in the work he creates? What relation does he have with his techniques ? Is he the judge of his own reality ? What relation does he have between him and his model ? Here we see the painter, dreaming with a cigarette in his mouth while facing his easel and his model. He is dreaming that he will be sleepless, to allow for the workings of his inner palette, inspired by his unrelentless subconscious, to flow freely on the canvas. « Songes et Mensonges » will not spare you the truth. Because it is his dream, the artist remains the eternal owner of his work, even more so morally than physically. He animates his dream, makes it come alive, and sees it reflected it in the eyes of the public, who remain unaware of the torturous process of his creation, which reiterates his pictorial, human and poetic engagement. Like every new exhibition, Marco Del Re invites us to delve into his ideas, his visions and his devotion to color and art history.
Marco Del Re recounts, in his own distant and ironic way, the history of art through his work. Through his works, he depicts forms of architecture, sprawling cities, Italian “piazzas”, and landscapes ravaged by industrialization. His works allude to and elaborate on the history of art. More recently, he has taken it upon himself to dissect the main themes of paintings: the female figure (creating a group of muses or nude women), primitive art, (Lascaux, 2011), studio spaces, interiors, flora and fauna (Tools, 2005), and mediterranean landscapes…
Marco Del Re also loves to work with other artisans to create new forms of expression. He experiments with a diverse range of materials and techniques; woodwork, where he incorporates painting into his pieces, engravings on coated surfaces, as well as executing high reliefs on slate. He inscribes on plaster, paints on marble, and draws on different types of papers. He has created a series on Nepalese paper, pieces woven into tapestries, porcelain from Limoges, a piano that he designed for Pleyel, all in addition to the range of jewelry he designed specifically for the Galerie Maeght. Liberty, imagination, and poetry are all at the heart of his work.
Monumental frescoes. The works of Marco Del Re can be seen all over the world, with one of the most famous places being the entrance hall of the Salle Pleyel in Paris, where Del Re created three magnificent high reliefs on engraved plaster for the reopening in 2006. In addition to this, he designed for the Fontaine Gaillon, Gerard Depardieu’s restaurant in Paris, a fresco for Pierre Gagnaire’s restaurant in Seoul and the decorations (the ceiling and other paintings) in the bar of the Burgundy Hotel in Paris. In 2010, he created two frescos for the new intensive care wing at the Salpêtrière Hospital.
The works of Marco Del Re are a voyage through time, combining classical traditions with modern-day painting.