On January 9, 2020, the Archives de la critique d'art (ACA) will be celebrating 30 years of dedicated activities with an exceptional anniversary program around the challenges of criticism in the face of the constant evolution of the art world and its institutions.
First, the ACA proposes a meeting at 11am with a presentation of its facility and its collections. Guests who are unfamiliar with the ACA will discover its many diverse activities: a centre of debate, research, resources and conservation, the ACA embodies the scientific, literary and editorial richness of contemporary creation. Nearly 480 written and approximately 90 archival collections have been kept there since the structure's inception in 1989, at the initiative of Jean-Marc Poinsot and Jacques Leenhardt, active members of the International Association of Art Critics (IAAC). These funds were created thanks to donations from institutions such as the Biennale de Paris and the Jennifer Flay Gallery, and important figures in art criticism such as Michel Ragon, Pierre Restany and Alain Jouffroy.
Following the visit, a public debate and conference will take place at the Musée des beaux-arts de Rennes from 2pm to 7pm in the presence of ten speakers from the European critical scene. Gathered around two round tables, these last ones will place at the heart of the debate major issues associated with the practice of criticism, cultural institutions and archives.
Georges Didi-Huberman - philosopher, art historian and winner of the 2017 AICA International Prize - will do us the honour of closing the afternoon with a lecture on the critical role of images.