European Couples

The exhibition "European Couples" at Gagosian Le Bourget presents all nine fluorescent corner light works from Dan Flavin’s series created between 1966 and 1971. This is the third time the complete series has been exhibited, and the first time in France. These "situations," as Flavin termed them, are installed as a unified presentation to explore the relationships between color, seriality, architecture, and the dedicated titles.

The European Couples series stems from Flavin's practice of dedicating works to individuals he knew, including artists, electricians, gallery workers, friends, and family. Each work in the series consists of an eight-foot (244 cm) open square of a single fluorescent light color—yellow, pink, red, blue, green, warm white, cool white, daylight, or soft white—installed in a corner. The repetitive geometric forms highlight Flavin's interest in serial configurations, while their placement actively engages with and reshapes the surrounding architecture.