Symposium Mallarmé, The Book
At the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal

“Everything in the world exists in order to end up in a book.” – Mallarmé

Montréal, March 23, 2005. The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, in collaboration with Optica, presents the symposium Mallarmé, The Book, with Hans M. de Wolf, Monic Robillard, Klaus Scherübel and Ian Wallace, at the Musée on April 4, 2005 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Called simply Le Livre, the project undertaken by the French poet Stéphane Mallarmé (1842-1898) was meant to symbolically encompass all of literature. It was never published. This symposium attempts to shed light on the significance of this literary venture as it relates to Mallarmé’s poetic oeuvre and his abiding influence on philosophy, literature and the visual arts. Mallarmé, The Book comprises three sections—a publication, a symposium and an exhibition—which together form Klaus Scherübel’s conceptual project.

Acting as editor and curator of this paradoxical work that has been virtually forgotten, Scherübel has produced the dust jacket of Mallarmé’s Livre based on the dimensions specified by the author in his handwritten notes. Scherübel’s Le Livre exists only through its exhibition and its relation to the public. Prior to this French-language version, co-produced by Optica and the Musée d’art moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg, it was published in German as Das Buch by Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Cologne, in 2001, and in English as The Book by Printed Matter Inc., New York, in 2004.

The exhibition Mallarmé, The Book will be presented at Optica from April 22 to May 28, 2005. The publication will be launched at the Olivieri-Musée bookstore on April 4, from 5 to 6 p.m., just before the symposium.

Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal
185 St. Catherine Street West
Montreal, Québec H2X 3X5
Place-des-Arts metro

Presentations are in French and English, without simultaneous translation.
Free admission
Reservations: (514) 847-6239

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Source and information:  Danielle Legentil, Media Relations Officer
Tel.: (514) 847-6232
E-mail: danielle.legentil@macm.org