The Tàpies Museum begins to reveal the enigmas of André du Colombier

BarcelonaThe enigmatic artist André du Colombier (Barcelona, ​​1952 - Paris, 2003) is remembered for the unusual actions he used to perform at bar tables: sitting on the other side of his audience, he would take all sorts of mundane objects out of a plastic bag and display them for a few minutes. Then, he would pack them away and leave. These objects were of all kinds, as can be seen starting this Wednesday at the Museu Tàpies in Du Colombier's first solo exhibition in a museum: there were toy-like padlocks, small bottles filled with colored sand, small imitation Chinese vases, and metallic-colored plastic plates. "one of the most enigmatic figures in the art of the second half of the 20th century," says the director of the Museu Tàpies, Imma Prieto. "We can say that he is a cursed artist, radical, in the etymological sense of the word, of going to the root of language itself and questioning its functionality," she adds.

The exhibition is titled André du Colombier. A lyrical point of view, quoting a text he signed but which, in his elusive vein, perhaps he didn't write himself. Du Colombier was born in Barcelona, ​​where his parents were teachers, and lived there until he was ten. Settling in Paris, he studied literature and philosophy, and later abandoned the academic path and declared himself an artist. "It's not that he studied art or was interested in artistic creation, but rather that he thought of using the context of art to make his statements, which took the form of exhibitions, usually in small spaces in Paris," says the exhibition's curator, Adam Szymczyk. In fact, all the materials on display were found in the home of Polish gallery owner Anka Ptaszkowska and catalogued in Barcelona. In addition to the objects, with which he created "small explosions of meaning," as the curator explains, a set of photographs and other works with words and text can be seen. "He used images and objects as poets use words," he explains.

A music-loving and very nearsighted artist

Du Colombier's birth name was Paliard Iscu, which he changed when he decided to dedicate himself to art, where he always remained a beloved marginal figure. Among the few things known about him is his fondness for opera and classical music, and that he must have been a rare sight, because he wore thick glasses. He participated in only a few exhibitions. And he turned the recordings on answering machines, some of them rude, into an art form, as can also be seen in the exhibition, which will be open until February 22, 2026. "He didn't get very far with his work," explains the curator. "Du Colombier wasn't part of these networks and systems that were already taking shape in the international scene at the end of the 1980s, along with what we now know as the art market. Therefore, Du Colombier was completely on the periphery. It was a conscious decision."

One of the reasons for his disinterest was that he saw museums as an arm of power. "The price of this was existing on the economic and existential periphery. Outside of a very small circle of friends, more or less close to Paris and France, for the most part, he didn't have a strong support group or a group of colleagues," explains Szymczyk.