Meeting

François Morellet, Francis Picabia’s “monstrous son”

13.10.2026

Francis Picabia, Landscape, 1909, oil pastel on paper, 65 x 58 cm, Private collection

Speakers:
Anne Berest
Arnauld Pierre

Villa Medici is pleased to welcome Anne Berest, writer, and Arnauld Pierre, art historian, for a discussion as part of the exhibitions dedicated to François Morellet and Francis Picabia.

Organized in conjunction with the exhibitions that the Académie de France in Rome is dedicating to François Morellet and Francis Picabia, this event explores the connections between their respective artistic practices, both characterized by rigor and irony. While François Morellet has consistently championed a geometric abstraction grounded in principles of neutrality, his work remains deeply imbued with a taste for derision, playfulness, and the absurd. These are all approaches that invite us to reexamine his work in light of that of Francis Picabia, of whom Morellet readily described himself as one of the “sons.”

Combining literature and art history, Anne Berest and Arnauld Pierre will share their perspectives on the two artists. Based on the exhibition Francis Picabia.Aprire le porte della notte (Opening the Doors of the Night) , dedicated to Picabia in Milan, the writer and great-granddaughter of the artist will discuss certain episodes from his life and work, painting a portrait of an elusive figure. Art historian and exhibition curator Arnauld Pierre, for his part, will offer an interpretation of François Morellet’s works, exploring how they combine rigor, humor, protocol, and chance. Their dialogue will thus provide an opportunity to put into perspective two artistic approaches that, while distinct, share surprising parallels.

Anne Berest

Anne Berest is a writer and screenwriter. The author of several critically acclaimed novels, including La Carte postale (Grasset, 2021)—which has been translated into numerous languages and won several awards—she explores themes of memory, transmission, and identity in her work. The great-granddaughter of Francis Picabia, she is also the curator of the exhibition Francis Picabia. Opening the Doors of the Night , presented at the Palazzo Reale in Milan. It offers a literary perspective on the artist’s life and work, weaving together biographical narrative and family history, as in the novel *Gabriële* (Éditions Stock, 2017), written with her sister.

Arnauld Pierre

Arnauld Pierre is an art historian and professor at Sorbonne University. As a member of the Picabia Committee, he contributed to the four volumes of the artist’s catalog raisonné (Fonds Mercator, 2014–2022). He is also the author of a monographic essay, Francis Picabia. Painting Without an Aura (Gallimard, 2002) and has just published, through Macula, Single Machines. The Making of the Posthuman. He has also published several catalog essays on the work of François Morellet.

Practical Information

Tuesday, October 13, 2026
8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. (access to the Morellet exhibition presented in the Loggia Balthus)
Grand Salon
French translated into Italian
Free admission

Ticket link coming soon