It isn’t unusual to come across an abandoned piano. There the once majestic instrument sits, dilapidated maybe with some of its keys or strings missing, pedals akimbo, legless. What is more unusual is an exhibition devoted to these outcasts, and contemporary artist and photographer Romain Thiery has devoted his time and talent to these relics in his visual and sonorous project entitled Requiem for Pianos. The show explores abandoned pianos around the world immortalizing the places in which they stand in a totally unadulterated way rendering the scenes totally authentic. Each work becomes an open window onto a time that has gone by. For the artist, the piano, « is rooted into the depths of our culture and never ceases to retain an unalterable dignity. »

It appears that abandoning pianos is a universal act. Since 2014, Roman Thiery has discovered more than 100 pianos abandoned throughout the world. He hasn’t only photographed them but has carefully recorded each note that the poor pianos are still capable of sounding, preserving the musical sole of each instrument which is played next to its photograph in the exhibition. Sixteen of his works are being displayed at the  Scène55, Mougins – Scène d’Exposition in the picturesque French town of Mougins in the south of France until June 6th, 2026. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette  https://www.romainthiery.fr/