In the footsteps of Pierre Bayle

In the southern French town of Carla-Bayle, a symposium and exhibition will take place from 14 to 16 November in which CBK Rotterdam and a number of Rotterdam artists are closely involved.

This involvement has to do with the relationship that CBK Rotterdam has with the famous Rotterdam philosopher Pierre Bayle (1647 – 1706). Pierre Bayle was born in Carla-Bayle, then called Carla-le Comte, and later fled as a Huguenot to Rotterdam, where he spent the last 25 years of his life and wrote his masterpieces. On 2 April 1990 the mayors Bram Peper and Jean-Luc Couret made an eternal friendship - l'amitié eternelle - between Rotterdam and this beautiful town at the foot of the Pyrenees. Since then CBK has been maintaining Rotterdam close ties with the town of Carla-Bayle.

Pierre Bayle's ideas are occasionally celebrated through the visual arts. This year it will happen with a symposium dedicated to Pierre Bayle in honor of the 30 anniversary of the Pierre Bayle museum in his birthplace. CBK Rotterdam contributes to the program by organizing an exhibition of six visual artists, from the Netherlands and France, and on behalf of the City of Rotterdam is donating a bronze sofa by visual artist Paul Cox, intended for the central square Place de L'Europe.

Pierre bayle
Writer and philosopher Pierre Bayle (1647-1706) has had a turbulent life as a refugee. His father, a Calvinist pastor, trained him in Carla-le-Comte. He converted to the Roman Catholic faith for a short time and then returned to Calvinism. As a Huguenot he became professor of philosophy and history at the invitation of Adriaen Paets in Rotterdam. But even in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, Pierre Bayle's critical and open-minded writings were too progressive and disturbing, causing him to be fired as a teacher. Pierre Bayle is one of the most important pre-illuminators and is best known for his publication Dictionaire Historique et Critique. In 1697 he released the Dictionaire, which is considered to be his masterpiece. The work is a sort of alphabetical encyclopedia of various philosophical and religious persons and movements that he presents in a very unorthodox way. The Dictionary was like an ordered dictionary, which criticized existing theological and metaphysical views. The first edition appeared in 1697.

Participating artists:
Maarten Bel (NL), Paul Cox (NL), Lucie Havel (NL), Hipkiss (F) Virginie Loze (F) Lana Mesic (NL), Elena Salah.