«I like journals. I have always wanted to compose a journal. My approaching intrusion into the Musée d’Art moderne de la ville de Paris encouraged me to transform the point d’ironie into a point de suspension. In a few photos of my work and life, accompanied by snippets from the musical score of my latest piece Le Fil de la vie, I offer an autobiographical prelude to “Autoportrait en 53 tableaux” (Self-portrait in 53 paintings), which is the title of the pictorial score of this exhibition, the pulse imprint of my life.» Pierre Henry

Pierre Henry was born on December 9, 1927 in Paris. He began studying music at the age of 7. In 1944, under the guidance of Olivier direction. As the inventor of technical processes of composition that have now become mainstream, Pierre Henry has constantly given this music a scope and ambition that nobody envisaged at the outset. He has built up a colossal and varied ensemble of works that continue to appeal to all audiences and generations, setting to music the wonderment, the hopes and the fears of our age. (source: Pierre Henry by Michel Chion, published by Fayard, 2003)

Printed to coincide with the “Autoportrait en 53 tableaux” exhibition at the Musée d’Art moderne de la ville de Paris, June 27 – December 1, 2013