With the exhibition Visionnaires, presented at the Petit Palais from October 2026 to January 2027, artist Prune Nourry shines a light on women sculptors long forgotten by art history.
For a year, she worked with three historians to create eighteen busts inspired by sculptors of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, based on their writings and period photographs.
The exhibition takes over the entire museum: from the monumental sculpture Mothership on the forecourt to the portraits scattered throughout the galleries and the garden. These works enter into dialogue with a selection of the artist's earlier creations and the permanent collections. Marble eyes, present throughout the route, create a common thread between the works and the periods. The choice of plaster echoes the museum's collections, while variations in scale reinforce the visual impact.
Long confined to the role of models, women were marginalized in sculpture. Although very present as subjects, they represent only 4% of the artists at the Petit Palais. The sculptors of this period, yet pioneers, remain largely invisible.
By situating herself within their legacy, Prune Nourry restores their place and affirms her commitment to greater recognition of women in the history of sculpture.