Gabriële Buffet-Picabia, the woman with the erotic brain
Gabriële Buffet-Picabia was known as "the woman with the erotic mind" because of the way her intelligence ignited the creativity of the artists around her. A musician by training, art critic, and born at the close of the 19th century, she was the wife of Picabia, a close friend of Guillaume Apollinaire, a lover and confidante of Duchamp, and a confidante of Arp and Stravinsky. Her influence on these groundbreaking artists was profound.
This portrait offers a fresh perspective on art history through the lens of a remarkable woman. It delves into the vibrant artistic scene of the early 20th century, from Paris to Berlin, New York to Barcelona, and includes Zurich and Etival in the Jura.
Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)DocumentaryGenre en anglaisArt Written byMarthe Le More, Anne BerestDirected by Marthe Le MoreEditingYasmina JaafriCinematographyRaphaëlle Gosse-Gardet, Michel BlusteinSoundDiego MartinezOriginal score Siegfried CantoNarrationAnne Berest, Arthur TeboulIn coproduction with Centre PompidouSupported by CNC, Angoa-Agicoa, ProcirepBroadcasted by ARTE FranceFestival(s)2024 • FIFIGROT - Festival international du film Grolandais de Toulouse • Toulouse (France) • SélectionYear2022Duration52min
For a long time, Gabriële Buffet-Picabia was overlooked by official historiography and never sought to assert her own artistic legacy, despite its undeniable reality. Was this a result of being shaped by her era, or a deliberate choice to remain in the background? The film delves into Gabriële’s complex and intriguing life.
This portrait reexamines art history through the lens of a remarkable woman, not as a mere “muse,” but as a behind-the-scenes theorist. Spanning Paris, Berlin, New York, Barcelona, Zurich, and Etival in the Jura, her life and writings were integral to the modern art movement. Through her story, the world of the avant-garde is brought into focus.
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Its existence is as astonishing for its duration—104 years—as it is for its intensity. This journey is compressed into the hour of this elegant documentary, narrated in the first person by this avant-garde creator.
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