title: Pierre & Gilles: Clair-obscur
author:  Sophie Duplaix 
description: Sophie Duplaix is chief curator of contemporary collections at the National Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou in Paris, and curator of the exhibition. Michel Poivert is professor of art history at the University Paris I Panthon Sorbonne, director of l cole doctorale Histoire de l Art, critic and curator of exhibitions, and editor of the magazine tudes photographiques. Marc Donnadieu is curator of contemporary art at the LaM_Lille Mtropole Museum. He has been curator of numerous monographic exhibitions.
zlib_text: ![cover.jpg](images/cover.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![img1.jpg](images/img1.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  by
  
  
  Jean de La Hire
  
  
  
  
  
  Translated by
  
  
  Brian Stableford
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  A Black Coat Press Book
  
  
  
  
  
  Table of Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [ENTER THE NYCTALOPE 4](004.html#a12)
  
  
  [BLACK AND GOLD 140](020.html#a24)
  
  
  [MARGUERITE 150](022.html#a26)
  
  
  [THE HEART OF A MAN 152](023.html#a27)
  
  
  [Afterword 183](024.html#a28)
  
  
  
  
  
  # ENTER THE NYCTALOPE
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Part One: The End of Darkness
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter I: The Drama
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  When he woke up on the morning of March 3, 1912, the engineer Pierre Saint-
  Clair felt his heart gripped by an obscure anguish. It was a presentiment that
  the day would not pass without some misfortune befalling
  him.[1](notes.html#a36)
  
  
  He was reassured however, at 8 a.m., when Mélanie, his old cook-housekeeper,
  brought him a telegram announcing the arrival, before noon on that same day,
  of Madame Saint-Clair and their son Léon, whom they called Leo. On the
  previous day, Madame