Magnus Plessen — Théâtre imaginaire — Lelong, Matignon Gallery — Exhibition — Slash Paris

In 7 days: October 19 → November 14, 2026

Galerie Lelong inaugurates its representation of Magnus Plessen with the exhibition “Théâtre imaginaire”.

Born in Hamburg in 1967, Magnus Plessen lives and works in Berlin. A self-taught artist, he initially explored painting before turning to photography and filmmaking, ultimately devoting himself entirely to painting from 1999 onwards.

The exhibition presents a body of work comprising twenty paintings created between 2024 and 2026, revealing the latest developments in Plessen’s practice. With the exception of “My Dying Father”, the paintings on view originate in the artist’s imagination. As for the title of the exhibition, it suggests that this is not simply an imagined theatre, but a mental space—a place where memories, longings, and multiple narratives converge.

Magnus Plessen, Your Face in my Hands, 2025 — Huile et fusain sur toile — 50 x 60 cm Courtesy of the artist & Galerie Lelong, Paris

Within this theatrical space, where abstraction and figuration coexist, each painting asserts its own autonomy. Yet together they seem to engage in a dialogue through their actions, assuming shifting roles without a predetermined narrative. This ambiguity is reinforced by faces that transform, multiply, and at times merge into one another. Hands—a recurring motif in his work—create a tactile relationship with the body, reinforcing the sense of intimacy that permeates Plessen’s paintings.

In the final gallery, the series Le Baiser extends this exploration of human closeness, evoking tenderness and complicity. Here, Plessen employs gold leaf, lending his compositions an iconic quality.