blueBanksia art directory lists art short courses and events

by Les Baronesses de Bilgola

The beautiful arts are very present in Toulouse with all its modernity and bustle but here are some pretty special places we saw.

The Fondation Bemberg is located in Toulouse’s hôtel d’Assézat, a 16th century palace. Georges Bemberg came from a family who appreciated and supported the arts, and his personal art collection is housed here. He studied at Harvard and Yale and made his career in comparative French and English literature. But he is also a talented pianist. (At one time he thought of becoming a composer.) All this in addition to his interest in painting and sculpture. His collection focuses on the renaissance and French modern school and includes paintings, objets d’art, furniture, bronzes and books.

by Les Baronesses de Bilgola

Les Abattoirs  is the centre for modern and contemporary art in Toulouse, specialising in 20th and 21st century art. The name was a bit off-putting and comes from what was previously here, but the artwork and overarching purpose of this centre is impressive.

It functions as a gallery, research centre and library, conservation centre, children’s art library and educational centre, as well as housing a database of all regional artists and cultural events. It claims over 17,000 multimedia documents accessible onsite.

by Les Baronesses de Bilgola

Collioure is a stunning little town – inundated with people that day so it would be hell-on-a-stick in peak summer. Its buildings are brightly coloured and even on this cold and grey day it still looked picturesque. It makes sense that Fauvism (the critics said they painted like wild beasts in cages!) is credited with being born here. Matisse and Derain, good friends, painted together here in what must have felt like an explosion of creative energy producing 242 oils and watercolours.

“For us, Fauvism was a trial by fire, … colours became sticks of dynamite that discharged light.”

André Derain

We hope you enjoy these snippets from France each month as much as we do!

Fernand Leger’s gallery in Biot, gave me a different feel for the man and the artist than what I had from just previously seeing his work, most of which had had a strong industrial quality. In this small, quiet community, Leger lived just a few doors from a ceramicist who he worked closely with.

The gallery showed a whole developmental range of works, including earlier works, sketches and colour studies as well as the finished paintings and sculptures alongside each other. His focus on the sunflower and the sun as source of life are evident, and his focus on capturing the purity of colour and light and moved easily from the 2-dimensional to some great sculptural pieces and murals.

We hope you enjoy these snippets from France each month as much as we do!

I didn't realise just how significant this part of the world was in so many prominent artists' lives. I knew they'd spent some time here, but being here - in this light, seeing the clear colours, the blue, the vegetation, and just how the light hits the landscape added a depth of connection to their works for me.