Masculinités plurielles : exposition avec le Fonds d'Art Contemporain - Paris collections

For this new partnership, the Contemporary Art Fund – Paris Collections and the Saint-Eloi Library have decided to explore representations of masculinities and gender identities in contemporary art. The five selected works were chosen in collaboration with Nikesco, an illustrator and comic book author who is currently presenting a carte blanche to the library. In his graphic novels published by Editions Lapin and Exemplaire, Nikesco recounts his daily life as a young deaf and queer man. From a pre-selection made by the Contemporary Art Fund team, Nikesco chose works that depict men or non-binary people and question gender norms.

In the press area, two portraits face each other: Jean Malaval's "The Young Man in Red" (1958) and Jean-Philippe Lemée's "Louis XVI, or the King as Seen by the People" (1999). The anonymous man in Jean Malaval's portrait, by an artist with an atypical dual career as a painter and cyclist, looks at us ambiguously: is it provocation, amusement, or seduction? Jean-Philippe Lemée, for his part, subverts the iconography of royal portraits, using sketches by amateur artists in a participatory and playful approach.

In the basement, the public can discover three recent acquisitions by the City of Paris. A pastel-colored drawing by Ellande Jaureguiberry subverts the masculine aesthetic of sports and bodybuilding. Two other graphic artworks by Edi Dubien and the duo Tirdad Hashemi and Soufia Erfanian depict queer identities and are poetic testimonies to experiences of gender transition or exile linked to LGBTPphobia.

All the works play on stereotypes associated with masculinity: in these representations, men are alternately mocked, sensual, and vulnerable. Come and discover them from June 2nd!

This event is part of the Parisian Disability Month and Pride Month 2026.

Exhibition from Tuesday, June 2nd to Saturday, September 5th
teenagers and adults
Free entry during library hours

• Saturday, June 13:

2:30 pm : Guided tour by the mediator of the Contemporary Art Fund - Paris Collections
Open to all ages 15 and up, registration required from May 13th
in the presence of LSF/FR interpreters

4pm : Nikesco is delighted to offer us a new creative workshop around the theme of the exhibition.
By sharing his experience as a comic book artist with teenagers, he will help them express their own artistic sense.
Open to all ages 15 and up, registration required from May 13th
in the presence of LSF/FR interpreters

• Saturday, June 27, 4 p.m .:

Ellande Jaureguiberry , one of the five exhibiting artists, will offer a creative workshop for children.
By exploring the theme of the exhibition, he will guide them in creating small characters from very simple elements by combining cutting, collage and drawing.
Children aged 5 to 8, registration from May 27th