Céleste Boursier-Mougenot

An inflatable wading pool in bright blue plastic makes potent allusions to summertime: memories of cool water offering a welcome, sometimes ecstatic antidote to hot sun. Inside, floating china and glasses circulate on currents generated by an electric pump, gently colliding and chiming to create a musical experience generated by chance. This charming installation work embodies the experiences and processes that characterize the work of Céleste Boursier-Mougenot.

This new acquisition inaugurates a brand new space at the Henry Art Gallery. Formerly devoted to a bookstore, and more recently the site for The Gift Shop (a dynamic artist project masterminded by Matthew Offenbacher), this new gallery ensures that all visitors encounter exciting new art as soon as they enter the Henry’s front doors. Céleste Boursier-Mougenot’s unexpected transformation of a wading pool into a sculptural element and a musical instrument evokes surprise, revelation, and pleasure—qualities of experience visitors can expect to discover throughout the museum.