Disappearing Objects in Georges Didi‑Huberman’s Curatorial Practices

Abstract

In this essay, I undertake an analysis of the first exhibition curated by Didi‑ Huberman, L’Empreinte (Imprint), which took place in Centre Pompidou in 1997. In this project, the French philosopher and art historian intentionally bypassed the usual products of artmaking, instead choosing to focus on what is left alongside this process. The project in Centre Pompidou transferred the technique of imprinting into the context of art of the 20th-century, investigating the tactile transmission of form from one surface to another. I will examine how Didi‑Huberman’s attempt was influenced by the notion of survivance of forms, formulated by Aby Warburg, and how it offers an alternative to traditional approaches to original/ copy issue.