I have always been a big fan of Dan Flavin’s fluorescent light sculptures. Deceptively simple upon first looking at them, there is a mood altering and seductive effect they give off, making them much more complex than what the eye first sees. I recently saw “An Installation” at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, a series of eight works dating from 1963. I have seen Flavin’s shows at various galleries and museums in New York, London, and Paris and each environment created a different experience of how I viewed his work. The floors at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin are a shiny industrial gray and the sculptures reflect dramatically, giving them a whole other dimension. Also, the gallery is in a converted hotel particulier, so the sculptures reflect so interestingly in the windows. I was there on a dark, overcast day so the reflections in the window were so strong that I thought there were additional sculptures in the garden and in the courtyard until I realized I was looking at a reflection. The exhibit includes three preparatory drawings «untitled (to the citizens of the Republic of France on the 200th anniversary of their revolution)» from 1989. Dan Flavin unfortunately died in 1996 at the age of 63, way too soon for this brilliant artist.

Through March 3 at 76 rue du Turenne, 75003, Tues – Day 11 to 7. Metro: San Sebastien-Froissart

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