Art

A 1994 French-language play by Yasmina Reza. [1]

Subject

The comedy, which raises questions about art and friendship, concerns three long-time friends, Serge, Marc, and Yvan. Serge, indulging his penchant for modern art, buys a large, expensive, completely white painting. Marc is horrified, and their relationship suffers considerable strain as a result of their differing opinions about what constitutes "art". Yvan, caught in the middle of the conflict, tries to please and mollify both of them.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

The English-language adaptation, translated by Christopher Hampton, was staged in February 1998 in the State Theatre, directed by Mark Graham, with Michael Atkinson (Marc), Ralph Lawson (Serge) and Graham Hopkins (Yvan). Design by Andrew Botha. The same production played in Cape Town and Pretoria in 1998.