Face à face (Face to Face in its English version) is a new collection of books featuring conversations with artists. Because visual artists often have much to say, because contemporary art sometimes requires the mediation of words, and because it is worth cultivating the art of conversation in the age of text messages and emojis, Face à Face offers time and space for a long-form dialogue between an artist and an intellectual—be it an art historian, exhibition curator, academic, writer, or theorist. The tone, blending literary and spoken styles, captures the intimacy and spontaneity of these moments shared around a work in progress.

The British museum director and art historian Neil MacGregor sits down with Chinese painter Xie Lei. Bound by a long-standing friendship, their exchange is full of warmth and complicity, especially when they discuss their shared admiration for classical painters such as Velázquez and Titian. The reader becomes a discreet guest to this conversation, which touches on every aspect of an artist's life—sources of influence, education, current projects, studio secrets, and more.

(French edition)