For the renowned French philosopher Michel Foucault, the subject of madness was fertile ground for exploring issues of power, knowledge, and institutions. 

With the publication of Histoire de la folie à l’âge classique (History of Madness in the Classical Age) in 1961, Foucault began a career-long exploration of the ways in which psychiatric theories and practices were intertwined with power relations. He argued that the treatment of madness was focused not on alleviating mental suffering, but on policing a wide range of individuals deemed deviant, unproductive, or threatening to the social order.

The Townsend Center hosts an exhibition of selected drawings from Patrick Chambon's 2024 graphic novel Michel Foucault: Histoire de Folie. Known for his ability to transform complex theoretical material into compelling visual narratives, Chambon creates a vivid, embodied version of Foucault's groundbreaking text, in which Foucault becomes a character in his own story and explores the cruelties, absurdities, and power dynamics embedded in society's treatment of madness.

Patrick Chambon was born in Paris and studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Monaco and the École des Beaux-arts in Toulouse and Lorient. His art has been widely exhibited in France, including at Galerie La Nave Va in Marseille, Villa Tamaris in Toulon, and Musée de Vence. He has published graphic novels on the work of Jacques Lacan and Oscar Wilde, and on the progressive unveiling of the female body in Western painting. This is the first American exhibition of Chambon's work.

The exhibit is located in a space also used for events; you are welcome to contact (510) 643-9670 or townsendcenter@berkeley.edu in advance to confirm gallery access.