Nan Goldin: Stendhal Syndrome

Nan Goldin, winner of the Kering Women In Motion Award 2025 at the Rencontres d’Arles, presents her work and personal journey at the Théâtre Antique in Arles on 8 July 2025. Her exhibition “Stendhal Syndrome” is shown at the Église Saint-Blaise with the support of Women In Motion.

Through her work, Goldin redefines the representation of women beyond patriarchal norms, giving voice to overlooked communities. Her intimate and raw portraits deconstruct gender stereotypes, highlighting domestic violence, desire, and marginality. The iconic series “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency” (1980–1986) bears witness to the complexity of romantic relationships and power dynamics, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to denouncing oppression and celebrating emancipation.

“Stendhal Syndrome” (2024) is a slideshow that juxtaposes images of Classical, Renaissance, and Baroque masterpieces Goldin has photographed over the last twenty years with portraits of her friends and lovers. She takes these photographs during her numerous visits to museums worldwide, especially the Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Galleria Borghese, and Gemäldegalerie.

The piece’s structure is based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, casting close friends and lovers as mythological figures such as Galatea, Orpheus, and Hermaphrodite. It combines her voice-over with a stirring soundtrack composed for the piece by Soundwalk Collective and Mica Levi.

“Stendhal Syndrome” asserts, through intimate portraiture, that her community has always existed and restores to it the stature it deserves. The piece culminates with a retelling of Stendhal’s famous syndrome—his collapse in the face of overwhelming beauty.