The summer 2008 exhibition at la maison rouge is an encounter between two bodies of work: that of the French mediumistic artist Augustin Lesage (born 1876 in Auchel, Pas-de-Calais - died 1954 in Burbure, Pas-de-Calais) and the Austrian sculptor and painter Elmar Trenkwalder (born 1959 in Weißenbach am Lech, Tyrol).
Two singular oeuvres, distinct as much for their era as for the form of art with which they are associated – outsider art for one, contemporary art for the other – yet both produced by individuals who are equally convinced of the magical force of the artwork.
The idea for this exhibition came, almost instinctively, from Antoine de Galbert, the founder of la maison rouge, who happened to bring their work together in his collection. When he asked Elmar Trenkwalder if he would show his work alongside Lesage’s paintings, he not only accepted but also revealed his appreciation of the mediumistic artist’s work.

The exhibition is co-produced by the Austrian Cultural Forum Paris.