Venus exhibition at the Musée Paul Eluard in Saint-Denis

The Musee d'Art et d'Histoire Paul Eluard presents an exhibition entitled Venus, by artist Prune Nourry, from March 21 to September 21, 2025.

Following on from her previous projects questioning the place of women in society through the symbolism of the earth - Terracotta Daughters (2011-2031), Mater Earth (2020-2023) and Statues Also Breathe (2022) - Prune Nourry now presents a major new project: Venus. This monumental work is part of the Les Vénus dionysiennes commission for the Grand Paris Express, in collaboration with architect Kengo Kuma, and will be installed in 2026 in the Saint-Denis - Pleyel station.

An exhibition linked to archaeological history

For this perennial work, Prune Nourry draws her inspiration from the archaeological history and cultural diversity of Saint-Denis, an area where over 130 nationalities live side by side. Following her research, notably with Catherine Schwab, curator at the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the artist has created eight interpretations of Paleolithic Venus.
These sculptures will be combined with fourteen different earth colors to form a unique ensemble of 108 pieces, which will be positioned in the station atrium like a vertical museum. Each sculpture contains earth collected during the collective project La Terre qui m'est Chair, carried out in collaboration with women's associations in Saint-Denis.

At the same time, Prune Nourry presents a historical installation made up of molds from the collections of the Atelier de moulage du Grand Palais-Rmn, located in Saint-Denis. This chronological frieze, tracing the evolution of the representation of women from 30,000 BC to the 19th century, establishes a link between prehistoric women and those of today.

To further anchor her work in the region, Prune Nourry collaborated with the Maison des femmes de Saint-Denis, run by gynecologist-obstetrician Ghada Hatem. Invited to the association's workshops, she invited eight women to pose for her work, inspired by Gravettian sculptures. The personal stories shared during these encounters nourish the artist's work.

Artist's biography

Born in Paris in 1985, Prune Nourry lives and works between New York and Paris. A 2006 graduate of the École Boulle in wood sculpture, she is represented by Galerie Templon (Paris, Brussels, New York). Her work explores themes linked to the body, healing, demographic imbalance, scientific drift, ecosystems and interdependence between species.