Mounir Fatmi’s sculpture La Pietà has been acquired by the prestigious Centre Pompidou in Paris, reflecting growing institutional recognition of the Moroccan artist’s work. The sculpture is composed of assembled sections of antenna cable affixed to a white wood panel—a material historically used for the transmission of images and information until the late 1990s, and a recurring element throughout Fatmi’s practice.
La Pietà reinterprets the iconic theme of the Pietà from Christian iconography, modeled after Michelangelo’s late 15th-century masterpiece. Fatmi’s work captures the scene of lamentation, with the Virgin Mary cradling the body of Christ, while also engaging in a critical dialogue with contemporary materiality. By using everyday industrial materials to evoke a canonical religious theme, Fatmi bridges tradition and modernity, prompting reflection on transmission, memory, and the interplay between sacred and secular forms.
The Centre Pompidou’s collection is one of the world’s leading repositories of modern and contemporary art, encompassing works by key figures of the 20th and 21st centuries across painting, sculpture, photography, video, and new media. Fatmi’s inclusion marks an important recognition of his contribution to contemporary discourse, joining a collection that champions experimentation, critical engagement, and cross-cultural perspectives.