Nouveau Réalisme and Pop Art

Nouveau Réalisme drew its ideas from the reality of everyday life. The artists sought to depict the contemporary world without idealisation, incorporating everyday objects and materials into their works. The movement was a parallel phenomenon to Pop Art. Nouveau Réalisme also took a critical look at contemporary phenomena, including mass consumption and mass culture. Both Pop Art and Nouveau Réalisme sought to make art accessible to a broad audience.

​The Nouveau Réalisme Manifesto, drawn up in 1960 by French art critic Pierre Restany (1930–2003), was signed by the artists Yves Klein (1928–1962), Arman (1928–2005), Jean Tinguely (1925–1991), Martial Raysse (b. 1936), Daniel Spoerri (1930–2024), Francois Dufrêne (1930–1982), Raymond Hains (1926–2005) and Jacques de la Villeglé (1926–2022). César (1921–1998), Mimmo Rotella (1918–2006), Niki de Saint Phalle (1930–2002) and Gérard Deschamps (b. 1937), among others, later joined the movement.

​Alongside works from the collection of the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain (MAMAC) in Nice, the exhibition will feature related works from the Didrichsen Art Museum collection. The collaboration between Didrichsen Art Museum and MAMAC has been coordinated by MANIFESTO EXPO.