Talking about Art: John Ashbery and Raymond Rousell Legacy in contemporary Art
This gathering celebrates the extraordinary importance of Raymond Roussel’s literature and its influence on the arts of the 20th century. His impact on avant-garde artists can be felt in the works of artists such as Duchamp, Dalí, Max Ernst, Picabia, Matta, Man Ray, Ree Morton, Joseph Cornell, Richard Hamilton, Julio Cortázar, Michel Leiris, René Daniëls, OuLiPo, Jean Rouch, Cristina Iglesias and Francisco Tropa, among many others.
On this occasion we will also pay tribute to John Ashbery, co-founder of the Raymond Roussel Society. Ashbery is one of the eminent figures in the current New York poetry scene. He has been awarded all the major prizes, such as the Pulitzer in 1976, and is the best-selling poet in the United States.
Then, the documentary, Raymond Roussel: Le Jour de Gloire will be screened with a round table discussion afterwards. Joan Bofill, the documentary’s director, John Ashbery, the poet, Mary Ann Caws, expert in Surrealism, CUNY professor Peter Consentstein; the curator, Sozita Goudouna and the RRS co-founder Thor Halvorssen will participate in the discussion
Le Jour de gloire by Joan Bofill, Spain 2016
In the documentary, Bofill interviews various experts on Roussel: the writer Enrique Vila-Matas; the painter Miquel Barceló; the American poet John Ashbery; the French writer Michel Butor (d. August 2016); the Czech artist and cinematographer Jan Svankmajer; Sicilian journalist and writer, Vittoria Alliata; French producer Jean-Christophe Averty (d. March 2017); Boston-based producer and director Fred Barzyk; photographer and main biographer of Salvador Dalí, Robert Descharnes (d. 2014) and his son Nicolas Descharnes, Dalí expert; New York visual artist Bill Etra (d. August 2016); German scientist and photographer Manfred Kage; Polish composer Ingfried Hoffmann; German director of photography Bodo Kessler; American curator and writer Barbara London; German technical director Alfred Maas; New York author and Oulipo member, Harry Mathews (d. January 2017); French editor and writer Jean-Jaques Pauvert (d. September 2014); professor and Roussel specialist, Hermes Salceda; American artist and video art pioneer, Lillian F. Schwartz; French writer, poet and literary critic, Annie Le Brun; and American artist Mark Pauline. An intellectual and human adventure spanning six years, and encompassing the globe, Le Jour de Gloire reconstructs a hidden episode of 20th Century culture in a visual, literary, musical and artistic voyage, bringing the enigmatic Roussel to life, while keeping his secrets and the mystery surrounding him.
