Created in 1967, the two paintings were commissioned while Jean-Louis Quermonne was director of the Institute, as part of the “1% Art” program, an initiative that combines artistic creation with public construction projects. Signed“J.-M. Pirot”—the artist’s legal name, as he would not adopt the nameArcabas until 1972, after his return from Canada—they were initially installed in the boardroom, known as the “Quermonne Room,” and were later restored and reinstalled in 2018 in the institution’s main lobby.
The two works complement each other as much as they contrast. *War*, dominated by shades of blue, is the more violent of the two. Its composition and visual language echo, in particular, Picasso and his work for the Vallauris Chapel. *Peace*, brighter and more serene, evokes, by contrast, childhood, happiness, the joy of living, and the pleasures of life. Both paintings already feature the brushwork, forms, and symbols for which Arcabas would later become renowned.
War is also part of an important strand of his work: that of socially engaged art, through which the artist expresses his outrage at the violence of his time. Arcabas devoted a series of engravings to the Vietnam War and later created the polyptych *Hommage à Bernanos*, a monumental work sometimes described as the “Christian *Guernica*.”
The two paintings from Grenoble were also created around the same time as another now-iconic work: the poster designed by Arcabas for the 1968 Grenoble Olympic Games.
The centennial of Arcabas’s birth provides an opportunity today to place this part of Sciences Po Grenoble–UGA’s heritage within the context of his prolific body of work. Several events in the region are dedicated to him, notably a major retrospective featuring 80 works at the Musée Hébert through January 31, 2027, and an exhibition devoted to major sacred art projects at the Musée de la Grande Chartreuse through November 11.
A wonderful invitation to discover Arcabas in museums… and at Sciences Po Grenoble – UGA, simply by looking up.
Artwork credits: Reproduced with the kind permission of the rights holders.