At a glance
Earthen figures and ceramic ruins emerge from memory in this survey of Simone Fattal’s work, where ancient myths meet the contemporary fragility of the landscape.
Why go
It offers a rare opportunity to see Fattal’s career-spanning range, from her early Beirut paintings to the raw, tactile sculptures that have defined her practice in recent decades.
You'll see
Ceramic sculptures · Bronze figures · Abstract paintings · Collage works · Archaeological motifs
Pace of visit
The tactile density of the ceramics and the layered details of the collages encourage a slow, observational pace.
Don't miss
The 'Warriors' series, which reduces the human form to its most essential vertical presence, evoking both vulnerability and timeless strength.
Artlovers Tip
Look closely at the surface of the unglazed ceramics; the visible fingerprints and raw textures reveal Fattal’s physical process and the intimacy of her work.
Inside the exhibition
Meet the artist
Description
Simone Fattal: Cities at the Bottom of a Lake at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris presents a comprehensive look at the Lebanese-American artist’s work. The show examines how her practice, spanning sculpture, painting, and collage, connects ancient mythology to the modern environmental crisis. Visitors find a landscape where historical ruins and contemporary figures coexist through elemental materials like clay and bronze.
The selection features Fattal’s early non-figurative paintings from her time in Beirut alongside her more recent, textured ceramic figures. Key works include her 'Warriors' and 'Standing Men', sculptures that possess a weathered, archaeological quality despite being newly made. The exhibition also incorporates her collages, which layer historical photographs and text to explore themes of memory and displacement.
What distinguishes this presentation is the way it highlights the tactile nature of Fattal’s output. By emphasizing the artist’s hand in the raw surfaces of her ceramics, the museum highlights a career dedicated to the persistence of form over time. It offers a quiet, intellectual space to reflect on the cyclical nature of civilizations and the enduring resilience of the human figure.
Worth travelling for?
A focused and rewarding stop for visitors interested in the intersection of archaeology, contemporary sculpture, and the tactile history of the Middle East.
Experience as an Artlover
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, with late openings on Thursdays until 21:30. Booking a time slot online is recommended to ensure entry.
Buy the combined ticket with Kerry James Marshall: The Histories, running at the museum on exactly the same dates. Both exhibitions reconsider who enters history, but from very different positions: Marshall transforms Western painting from within, while Fattal reaches back through archaeology, myth and fragmented memory.
Simone Fattal: Cities at the Bottom of a Lake
Artlovers relevance
Plan your visit
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