The Côte d'Azur and Provence still cultivate their taste for art and propose many exhibitions,
plays and other events all year long. Focus on our flourishing cultural activities.
Created by Jean-Christophe Maillot, “Abstract/Life” adopts the idea of a vast concerto. The original score by Bruno Mantovani was commissioned by Marc Monnet, Artistic Advisor to the Monte-Carlo Spring Arts Festival. Aware of the way in which the choreographer appropriates all kinds of music, the composer has alternated dazzling intensity, contrasts, and moments of expectancy. April from 26th to 29th. Grimaldi Forum. 10, avenue Princesse Grace, Monaco (www.balletsdemontecarlo.com).
Serving as a link between different generations, the temporary exhibition "Trait d'Union" at the Studio Harcourt sheds light on families of artists, craftsmen, duos, lovers and friends… Lots of constellations reunited in an intimate exhibition. Until April 30th. Studio Harcourt, 6 rue de Lota, Paris 16 (01 42 56 67 67).
Top Marques Monaco is marking its 15th anniversary with an impressive collection of cars from all over the world. World-class supercars such as the Apollo Intensa Emozione, Zenvo TSR-S, and a fleet of Ferraris will parade around Monaco during the event. Inside the Grimaldi Forum, a fabulous collection of unique supercars and superboats will be on display, including several world premiere presentations. In parallel, all the facets of an ultra-luxurious lifestyle can be admired in an area of 5,000 m2 comprising Luxury Lane. April from 19th to 22th. Grimaldi Forum, 10 avenue Princesse Grace, Monaco (www.topmarquesmonaco.com).
A designer of gem-like furniture, François Cante-Pacos has been given a place of honour at the Galerie Yves Gastou, which has gathered together for the first time pieces of furniture designed by the artist for Pierre Cardin. This anti-design collection, aptly called "Mobilier Futuriste", gracefully deploys cabinets, consoles and benchseats of timeless beauty in oak and lacquer. All paying a fine tribute to the 'seventies, and a very pleasant sight for sore eyes. Until May 5th, Galerie Yves Gastou, 12 rue Bonaparte, Paris 6 (01 53 73 00 10).
About 30 exhibitors, professionals from the plant world, are meeting up in the luxuriant gardens of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. On the programme, gardening and flower arranging workshops, fashion shows of flowery dresses, concerts, and guided tours of the Villa’s gardens. May 5th and 6th. Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (www.villa-ephrussi.com).
A very appealing cast in which we find, among others, Ary Scheffer, Jacob Maris, Vincent Van Gogh, Kees Van Dongen and Piet Mondrian, for an exhibition paying tribute to the artistic, esthetic and friendly relationships between French and Dutch painters from 1789 to 1914. In all, 115 works express these ties, plunging us into a plethora of flowers, colours and textures in a chronological presentation brilliantly tracing a century of artistic revolution. Until May 13th, Petit Palais, avenue Winston Churchill, Paris 8 (01 53 43 40 00).
From his travels in Greece, New York photographer Dean West has brought back photos which pursue the same path taken by his well-known series "Under The Sun" produced in Australia. Basking in the spirit of the Mediterranean, his photographs are distinctive for their pastel shades and the suave indolence they convey. This new series is now available from the Opiom Gallery. Opiom Gallery, 11 chemin du Village, Opio (04 93 09 00 00).
A milestone year for the Italian firm Pomellato and its founder, Pino Rabolini, who liberated women from conventional jewellery and launched a new era in which precious stones could be worn for the first time by day and by night, on weekdays and weekends. Fifty years on, the Pomellato style has become a reference. In 228 pages, this enchanting book looks back over the years in splendid photos signed Herb Ritts, Helmut Newton, Peter Lindbergh… Since 1967, éditions Rizzoli (www.pomellato.com).
As a collector, critic and exhibition curator, Lola Garrido has devoted her entire professional career to art. Part of her extraordinary collection dedicated to the greatest masters in the history of photography from the late 19th century to the mid-1990's is on display in Nice. 130 old prints, many iconic, covering all the artistic currents of the era. Until May 13th. Musée de la Photographie Charles Nègre, 1 place Pierre Gautier, Nice (04 97 13 42 20).
For the first time in France, a wide-ranging retrospective is being devoted to South African photographer David Goldblatt. Offering a survey of his entire production and presenting over 200 photographs and about 100 hitherto unpublished documents, this exhibition highlights the fascinating work of this artist whose photographs portray the complex history of South Africa. As a bonus, seven films, specially produced for the event by the Pompidou Centre, are screened throughout the exhibit. From February 21st to May 7th. Centre Pompidou, Place Georges Pompidou, Paris 4 (01 44 78 12 33).
As part of the January-May Sessions of the Nice Jazz Festival, the trio comprised of Shai Maestro, Jorge Roeder and Ziv Ravitz will present its musical world extending the frontiers of "deep jazz" and flirting with electronic music. February 24th. Forum Nice Nord, 10 boulevard Comte de Falicon, Nice (www.nicejazzfestival.fr).
An artist and sculptor who represented France at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017, Xavier Veilhan unveils a new facet of his talent in this exhibition. Soberly entitled “Collages”, it consists of a series of compositions based on black-and-white photos and black paper cut-outs. It accompanies the launch of the first monograph devoted to the artist’s performances, published by Éditions Dilecta. Until January 13th. Galerie Dilecta, 49 avenue Notre-Dame, Paris 3 (01 43 40 28 10).
Recently opened in the fashion house’s historic premises, the Yves Saint Laurent Museum delves into the designer’s creative genius. A selection of about 50 “haute couture” models accompanied by accessories, sketches, photographs and films reveals the very essence of the Saint Laurent style. This inauguration precedes that of the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakesh, scheduled for October 19th. Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, 5 avenue Marceau Paris 16 (01 44 31 64 00).
Resulting from procedures calling on drawing, painting and sculpture, photographic works by Jean-Michel Fauquet - a Paris-based artist born in Lourdes in 1950 - are mainly created in the studio. His highly personal way of seeing light and shapes has conquered the art world. His work has been the subject of exhibitions in France and abroad, and notably at the “Rencontres Photographiques” in Arles in 2013. It has also become part of major collections : those of the Fonds national d’art contemporain, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, and the Musée national d’Art moderne. From October 20th to January 21st. Musée de la Photographie Charles Nègre, 1 place Pierre Gautier, Nice (04 97 13 42 20).
Characterized by a riot of human figures, animals and hybrids which constantly seem to defy the laws of gravity, the work of Marc Chagall gives a glimpse of a world turned upside-down. This new selection of works from the Museum’s collection focuses on a complex universe, unique in the field of modern art. Until February 26th. Musée National Marc Chagall, avenue du Docteur Ménard, Nice (04 93 53 87 20).
This exhibition at the Cartier Foundation highlights the work of Malick Sidibé, a Malian photographer born in 1935 to a Fulani family in Soloba, south of Bamako. Comprised of over 250 photographs illustrating his career, the exhibition devotes a large part to Bamako evenings during which the photographer forged his reputation as a “reporter of youth”. From October 20th to February 25th. Fondation Cartier, 261 boulevard Raspail, Paris 14 (01 42 18 56 50).
Invited for the second time to Grasse, English designer Carolyn Quatermaine has dreamt up a voyage for the senses, leading the public from perfume-makers’ fields to Venetian palaces while evoking the freshness of an English garden. Inspired by a passion for flowers and fragrances, the exhibition “Where Flowers Dream” pays tribute to the history of Fragonard and promises an experience of poetic intensity. Until April 15th. Musée Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 14 rue Jean Ossola, Grasse (04 93 36 02 07).
The first edition of the “Biennale Movimenta” festival proposes a programme of artistic, cultural and technological innovations for both professionals and the general public. It is comprised of three parts : the “backbone” of the event, an urban route in the public area along the Promenade du Paillon in Nice ; encounters and exhibitions ; and the awarding of a prize enabling one of the works to join the prestigious FRAC collection (“Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain”) of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur. From October 17th to November 26th. Several places in Nice (www.movimenta.fr).
The son of Spanish artist Mariano Fortuny y Marsal, Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo (1871-1949) initially focused on painting. Based in Venice as from 1889, his highly eclectic tastes led him towards engraving, photography, design, and a passion for stage setting and lighting. In 1906, he turned his attention to fabrics, aiming for the liberation of the female body and the real luxury of comfort ! Until January 15th. Palais Galliera, Musé de la mode de la ville de Paris, 10 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, Paris 16 (01 56 52 86 00).
Théo Tobiasse would have been 90 this year. On this occasion, Le Cannet, Saint-Paul de Vence and Vallauris have joined up to pay tribute to this artist in love with the South of France, a friend of César, Arman, Sosno and André Villers. The Magnelli Museum invites visitors to discover his world through his favourite themes (the family, women, travel, exile, musicians), while the village of Saint-Paul has installed several monumental works in its streets, and the Chapelle Tobiasse in Le Cannet is displaying his preparatory maquettes, sketches and tracings which led to its creation. Until October 30th. Vallauris, Le Cannet et Saint-Paul de Vence. www.theotobiasse.fr
