Hello

I am trying to find out some background information relating to the abandonment of the Biennale de Paris by the Department of Culture in France after 1985 to assist with my research.

Can anyone point me to an article or text in english that would present the debates which occurred around the almost 2 decade absence of the Biennale de Paris.

I am trying to contextualise and clarify the relationship of the 1989 exhibition Magiciens de la Terre held at the Pompidou Centre in Paris with the Biennale de Paris - was it an official replacement of the biennale? and to what extent did Magiciens de la Terre answer some of the debates which had arisen around the Biennale de Paris and led to its stagnation.

I have already consulted the official Biennale de Paris website which gives no information beyond stating that there was a gap in the exhibition from 1985 to 2004 when it was rebranded and place under new management.

I have also attempted some keyword searches on electronic article databases like JSTOR with no luck yet and would be very grateful if any arthist members could point me in the direction of a text that could address these research questions for me.

Thank you

Wendy Asquith
phd Student
University of Liverpool