Iris Time

A tribute to Iris Clert Gallery (1956-1972)

Giulia Andreani, Arman, Bianca Argimon, Marcella Barcelló, Anya Belyat-Giunta, Camille Benarab-Lopez, Saïda Bettayeb, Nora Cohen, Matthew Craven, Stephen Dean, Anne Dele- porte, Daniel Martin Diaz, James Gallagher, Klaus Geissler, Nathanaëlle Herberlin, José Luis Landet, Frédérique Loutz, Gaspard Maîtrepierre, Simon Martin, Yves Klein, Ad Reinhard, James Rielly, Edgar Sarin, Anders Scrmn, Jean Tinguely, Jeannie Weissglass, Marko Velk, Reinhard Voss, Axel Wilhite, Anaïs Ysebaert

Iris Clert gallery opened in February 1956 at 3 rue des Beaux-Arts in the parisian neighborhood of Saint Germains des Prés which was then known as a home for avant-garde galleries. The rivalry between Paris and New York at the time made Parisian galleries very cautious about presenting emerging artists. Iris Clert’s spectacular way of conducting her gallery, her total absence of artistic exclusivity and her incredible eclecticism in staging her exhibitions made it a unique space of expression for dozens of major artists of the Paris scene.

Clert’s confidence in the fact that an artistic manifestation doesn’t have to be judged aesthetically on its tangible realization but on the genuineness of its motivation, led her to organize such iconic exhibtions as pioneer performance artist Jean-Jacques Lebel’s first exhibition in 1957, Klein’s Le vide (The Void) in 1958, and two years later Arman’s exhibition Le plein (Full-Up), where the gallery space was filled with trash. For Takis ‘s Man in the Space exhibition, the british poet Sinclair Beyles was suspended on a metal rod, ranting: “I’m not a human being, I am a work of art by Takis”.

Between 1962 to 1975 Iris Clert published a two page newspaper titled Iris Time-Unlimited. Replacing the traditional invitation, each issue announced upcoming shows, including critics reviews, Indian horoscope and reactions of famous guests at the vernissage.

Inventor of the “Venice Biennale off” in 1962 where she exhibited her avant-garde projects in a 17th century palazzo, discoverer of some of the most important artists of the 1950’s and 1960’s, and founder of a mobile museum with her plexiglass heavy truck the Stradart, Iris Clert died in 1986 on the French Riviera, forgotten by most. Nevertheless, the self-proclaimed ‘Most advanced gallery in the world,’ which offered the opportunity to ‘buy today the art of tomorrow,’ undoubtedly left a permanent mark into art history.