Germaine Richier in Andros: A Sculptor Who Reimagined the Human Form

This summer, the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation presents a major tribute to French sculptor Germaine Richier (1902–1959) at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Andros. Titled Germaine Richier (1902–1959) – Conversations, the exhibition runs from June 14 to September 27, 2026, offering visitors a comprehensive look at the career of one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century European sculpture.

Although her life was cut short at the age of 57, Richier left behind a remarkably cohesive body of work that transformed the language of sculpture. A student of Antoine Bourdelle and initially trained in the academic tradition of portrait busts, she gradually developed a radically personal visual vocabulary in which human figures merge with animal, vegetal and mineral forms. Through this approach, she challenged established sculptural conventions and explored the fragile yet resilient nature of human existence.

The exhibition traces this artistic evolution, from her early works to the hybrid figures that became her signature. Marked by cracks, wounds and tensions, Richier’s sculptures embody vulnerability while simultaneously conveying strength, endurance and hope. Her work reflects a lifelong fascination with the natural world, inspired by the animals, insects and found objects that surrounded her from childhood and later filled her studio.

The title Conversations refers to the intimate dialogue Richier maintained with her creations, which she often described as her “children.” At the same time, it evokes the imagined relationships that emerge between the sculptures themselves, inviting viewers into a network of encounters and exchanges across the exhibition space.

Alongside the sculptures, visitors will discover a section dedicated to Richier’s studio, famously described by writer and critic Georges Limbour as a “chaos of plaster and clay.” The exhibition also highlights her lesser-known engagement with printmaking, a medium she embraced after discovering it in London in 1947 and subsequently integrated into her artistic practice.

Curated by Marie Koutsomallis-Moreau, Head of Collection at the B&E Goulandris Foundation, and Laurence Durieu, a leading specialist on Richier’s work, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to revisit an artist whose influence continues to resonate in contemporary sculpture. More than six decades after her death, Richier’s hybrid beings remain strikingly relevant, speaking to enduring questions about humanity’s relationship with nature, transformation and survival.