Musées dessinés exhibition: Christelle Téa sketches the museums of Paris at the Musée Cognacq-Jay

Don't forget her name: this young artist is about to conquer the art world. In fact, the museums of Paris already hold no secrets for her... For a whole season, Christelle Téa paced the aisles of 14 Paris museums, reproducing in her pencils the atmosphere, identity and activity that animate these cultural venues.

In a free exhibition presented from September 9, 2021 to December 7, 2021, at the Musée Cognacq-Jay, Christelle Téa unveils her Musées dessinés, a series of eleven works that plunge us into the life of these museums we've visited so many times.

Exhibitions, workshops, works, storerooms and corridors, architecture and works of art... The artist mixes portraits, scenes of life and landscapes in a single drawing, succeeding in reproducing on paper the life that animates these essential Paris museums. Palais Galliera, Atelier-musée de Zadkine, Maison de Victor Hugo, Musée Carnavalet, Crypte archéologique, Petit palais, Musée Bourdelle, Musée Cernuschi... Each of Christelle Téa's drawings is a universe in its own right, at once highly realistic and slightly fantastical.

The fine lines and myriad details to be discovered in each work invite us to plunge into these lively settings, and to explore once again the museums that served as models.

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These drawings, done in Indian ink, are sketched freehand, on the spot, without any preparatory studies. The scenes thus reproduced become extremely lively and animated, like a snapshot of an entire day. This is the magic and poetry that shine through Christelle Téa 's talent: the artist knows how to capture the soul of each place and the visitors who bring it to life on a simple sheet of paper.

"Like a photographic snapshot, I freeze the setting in my drawing, with the ambition of capturing every detail, whether historical or contemporary. I always start with a detail: complex organic forms are what most often appeal to me ", explains the artist.

To round off this exhibition, Christelle Téa is unveiling 20 self-portraits exclusively at the Musée Cognacq-Jay, featuring herself and her personal collection of bibis. Touches of color in watercolor lend a cheerful aspect to these self-portraits, in a set of works realized in black and white. The exhibition concludes with a video recounting the working season the artist spent in Paris museums in preparation for this exhibition.

Discover the work of this talented draughtswoman without delay!