when paintings become sculptures

“It’s a revolutionary concept for me!” Exclaims Manuel Pereira. Blind from birth, he was finally able to imagine the paintings of masters thanks to these resin bas-reliefs. The Valentin Haüy association has been embarking on this accessible art niche for three years: artisans, working with the blind, therefore model the paintings, which are revealed to the touch. The idea is a hit with the first concerned who are 80,000 blind and 1.5 million visually impaired in France. But also from major museums.

“The Vitruvian man, I didn’t imagine him like that at all”

“Some institutions approach us to adapt either a painting or a sculpture. But we can also make proposals, for example we have expressed the wish to the Louvre to create a ‘Vitruvian Man’ adapted to the blind during the exhibition. ‘exhibition dedicated to De Vinci “, explains Marie Furic, head of the cultural department within the Valentin Haüy association.

“The Vitruvian man, I didn’t imagine him like that at all, it was very abstract for me. I work with touch, so when I am told about works of art or colors… All of that is. very vaporous, ”says Manuel Pereira. This technique is not limited to the revelation of a work: for the visually impaired and blind, it is also the opportunity to exchange with those around them around these paintings. A “necessarily important” social issue, for Manuel Pereira.

Will the Mona Lisa one day be adapted?

Be careful, not all masterpieces are interesting to transform into sculpture: “The very essence of La Mona Lisa, for example, is her gaze that follows us throughout the room: in 3D, we will lose this essence. Also, modern or avant-garde paintings, such as monochromes, are very difficult or even impossible to adapt … The paintings must have stories to tell “, advances Marie Furic.

© Marie Gicquel / Europe 1

Next work accessible to the blind and next challenge for the association: the Tour aux figures by Dubuffet, a 24-meter high tower in Issy-les-Moulineaux in the suburbs of Paris.