WANDERING AROUND SAINT GERMAIN
open their doors to the general public - or are supposed to. The Saturday I went, many of the galleries I had listed to see, were not open. Shame for all the people who were wandering around with their art-guides and finding doors closed, very closed. This maybe the only time in the year I feel comfortable about going into a gallery. Usually I shun those doors, glance through the window and every now and again pluck up the courage to go in. My feelings are that I am going to be harassed by an « art-expert » . I can usually answer the questions about why I have come but once I announce that, no, I am not in the market to buy, the person usually flounces off looking at me rather disdainfully During the art festival the public is very mixed and I can assure you that when a buyer happens to be in the gallery, the owner is as sweet as pie…and anyone else around, doesn’t get a look in. Suits me fine.
A bit of background before we have a look at what I saw.
Saint Germain has been the « artistic » quartier in Paris as far a-back as the 17th century. Some 100 years later the intellectuals and revolutionists elected to take up residence there. It wasn’t until the Second World War that the district became the place to be for the Parisian and international cultural life. There you could cross Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Ernest Hemingway, Boris Vian, Jacques Prévert, Miles Davis, Juliette Gréco and many other other legendary figures. Art galleries opened, antique dealers, transforming the area into an open museum- if the artist was brave enough to push open some of the doors, then who knows, he may well have met HIS future dealer.
Everyone knows the « Deux Magots » where the intellectuals hung out (and in the Café Flore across the road). I nearly fell over myself when as a young student I saw Jean-Paul Satre and Simone de Beauvoir in a very animated conversation with other writers and artists. I stood there and gaped. Today I avoid those cafés - overrated, very expensive - and usually very bad.
Now you have seen the map of all the galleries - but not to worry, I wandered around for three hours and didn’t have time to visit more than 12 of them. After that, I was at saturation point and I did not take too many photos as you will see.
I dared to take a photograph in the first gallery, « Natalie Seroussi » then in the next gallery I saw that everyone was doing the same thing so I became very daring expecting to hear that loud voice saying « No photos Please » - I did told her they were for my Blog. The gallery owner then launched into a long story as how someone who took photos in her gallery started selling the paintings on their on homepage and asking her for commission… "Oh dear" I said…
I found this work by a Henri Chopin quite fascinating. « Still Life n°6.396.873. done in 1980. Look carefully and you will see that the whole work is a series of "Y"
Chopin was French, 1922-2008, Paris, France and then based in London.
In the Vallois Gallery, I really went to town…Richard Di ROSA and TCHIF
Di Rosa (1963 -) is attached to the French movement of free figuration with his brother Hervé Di Rosa , . The "free figuration" refers to the renewal of painting in the 1980s, an uninhibited work often borrowed from cartoon rock and graffiti. He is the only member of the movement to practice sculpture.
His work has a real sense of humour and I enjoyed it all.
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| Salamadre 2016 |
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| Voiture 1992 |
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| Magicien, 2015 |
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| Grand poussin jaune, 2013 |
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| Nina Simone, 2016 |
Then there is TCHIF, born in 1973. A self taught artist, he has taken part in many exhibitions and been invited worldwide to present his work (Brasil, Holland, France, Germany, Belgium, Portuga). The National Museum of Africa Art (Smithsonian) in Washington, selected him for the ''Earth Matters - Contemporary African Art" exhibition. There were quite a few works but I preferred to take photos of the three that really appealed to me.
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| Fantasmes, 2015 |
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| Black Cross, 2014 |
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| Red Background, 2015 |
In the Galerie Zlotowski, there was another artist who stopped me in my tracks. Joaquin TORRES-GARCIA. I have seen his work before but certainly not these paintings. A little about him.
He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, on July 28, 1874, to a Uruguayan mother and a Catalan emigrant father. Although he is considered the father of Latin American Constructivism, he spent over 40 years of his life in the United States and Europe.
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| Red Masque, 1928 |
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| Abstract composition, 1942 |
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| "Constructiviste" Composition, 1935 |
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| "Constructiviste" Landscape, 1928 |
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| Ice Cream, 1948 |
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| "Constructiviste" Composition, 1931 |
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| Toothpaste, 1927 |
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| "Constructiviste" Composition, 1939 |
I can’t remember if there were other artists in that gallery - I only had eyes for Torre Garcia !
From the outside of the Applicat-Prazan gallery I saw this.
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| Serge Poliakoff, Abstract Composition,1956 |
I find his work, brush strokes, colours, so bold - clearly defined conjuring up all sorts of images within his work.
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| Painting, 1949 |
Then of course a Pierre Soulages (1919-). You have seen a lot of his work along the way. A painting I saw later was really not like Soulages at all for me. Fascinating. You will see.
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| The Fair, 1914 |
Alberto Magnelli (1888-1971). Another one of my « friends ». He was an Italian modern painter who was a significant figure in the post war Concrete art movement.
Of course you have seen André Masson (1896-1987). He is described as being a Surealist. That put me off at the beginning as I'm not a real follower of such work. Then I began to see what I like and forgot about the description...and I really do like him!
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| "L'homme Ivre (L'hommr libre)", 1962 |
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| "Enfant présentant un livre d'images, 1944/45 |
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| Georges Mathieu - "Tenth Avenue", 1957 |
« why didn’t you ever introduce me to this? »She replied
« Well now we are both seeing it for the first time… »Now you must meet Mr Hern in the Leila Mordoch gallery.
Who is he indeed? He is not going to show you who he is. For over a year now a personnage has been created and look at each picture closely - sometimes I can relate to those drawings very well! This is his imaginary world, his memories, childhood, … and so you have it. I wonder if we'll ever know who he is!
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| Looking in at Mr Hern |
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| Quite out of character - but... |
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| Mr Herne, 2017 |
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| Mr Hern, 2017 |
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Michel Monteaux’s work is quite extraordinary. (Frederic Moisan Gallery).
Every painting unveils creatures, animals, fantastical wanderers in a world of art. I stayed in this gallery for quite some time. This is work that touches you, moves you to look again…and discover more…
I knew his work as a photographer. There is a lot of his work on Internet. But I did not know him as an artist. He works in both mediums today.
Michel Monteaux is assistant director for cinema in France, before settling in Los Angeles in the eighties when he settled down as a professional photographer. He works in the field of editorial and advertising illustration. Passionate about the high desert he opened a studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico and devoted himself to portraiture and reportage with a particular interest in the folk art of the American continent. He returned to France in the mid-90s, where he continued his photographic work for the press and companies
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Naturally, animals had to emerge somewhere along the line. In the Bayart Gallery. I spoke to the young woman for longer than I usually do. We were alone in this very small gallery where frankly the animals, were huge, and needed more space to breathe. They were sculptured by Patrick Villas
(born in 1961). I jokingly pointed out this small panther and told her that even it was too large for my bookcase. There were 12 sculptures and if I liked to fork out the 2000€ for one, then I could have it. You know what the answer was!
Patrick Villas was born in 1961, and today he lives and works in Antwerp.
He is a sculptor and, passionate by the animal world, he represents it under all its possible forms, being particularly fond of cats.
In order to understand them and the way they move, he spends a lot of time observing them in zoos.
The sculptor doesn’t miss any detail, the animal’s posture is always dynamic, and their elegance and noble looks are perfectly rendered for the viewer's experience and...
When I see these kind of sculptures I often relate to my daughter’s work. So sent her a picture of the panther - she replied « not cuddly enough for me » !
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Bruno Mallart (born in 1963) - we’ve seen so much like this before - even so his work had a more creative touch to it. Strange as it may seem, they lived quite comfortably next to those animals.
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| Gnou à la perle |
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| Police de la pensée ! (no date) |
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| La comparista |
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Jean Bernard Metais is yet again another young artist. He was born in 1954.
He has been creating for public art projects since the early 1980's. Most of his major works were commissioned by public institutions or developed for international competitions. His work can be found in both natural and urban settings. You can see from the photograph I took of the gallery that there was a lot of sand around!
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| Hour glass, 2017 |
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The Pascal Lansberg Gallery would be one of my last stops. It was here that I saw the Soulages which was so unlike Soulages for me. I loved it as I do most this artist’s work
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| Hans Hatung (1904-89) - 1949 |
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| Antonio Saura (1930-98) Saeta, 1957 |
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| Maurice Eteve (1904-2001) Grichula, 1974 |
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| Victor Vasarely (1906-97) Vega MC, 1969/72 |
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| Tom Wesselmann, Pat nude (Blue) 203 |
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| André Lanskoy(1902-76), 196 |
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| André Lanskoy(1902-76), 1965 |
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| Hans Hartung (1904-89), 1955 |
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| Jean-Paul Riopelle(1932-2002), 1949 |
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| Jean-Michel Atlan (1913-60) "Livre des rois", 1959 |
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| Serge Poliakoff (1900-69) Yellow Red Black ,1953 |
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| Georges Mathieu (1921-2012), 1958 |
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| Hans Hartung (1904-89), 1966 |
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| Pierre Pascal Lansberg (1911-1977) Composition, 1955 |
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| André Lanskoy(1902-76) Lueurs Incertaines, 1947 |
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| Pierre Soulages (1919-), 1965 | Now would you have known that this was Soulages? |
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| Maurice Esteve (1904-2001) Ardentes en Beryy,1949 |
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| Gerard Schneider(1896-1986) Opus 478, 1953 |
I crossed the street and saw this. I doubt if dog or cat lovers would approve.
And Epidemik was another oddity
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It had been a lovely moment of discovery and there is more to go back and look at before the festival ends.
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