Cultural events

You'll recognize Dali in works by Henry ! His paintings indeed inherit the same humoristic touch as those of the great Salvador, but also this kind of naivety that softens the eye of the beholder. They sometimes reveal lunar landscapes, sometimes the watery depths, where strange characters cross each other's paths. Alongside them, Jean-Claude Henry also presents drawings evoking medicine (his original profession). Until June 20th at Château Sainte-Roseline, Les Arcs-sur-Argens (04 94 99 50 39).

The show entitled “ Öper et Öpis” is definitely unlike any other. Halfway between the theatre and the circus, consisting of a moving stage, steep and perilous, it shows how unstable life can be. Here, we see that everything can change in a split second. The characters wobble, couples form and break apart, playing incessantly on the laws of balance. From May, 25th to 27th, at the Théâtre de Nice (04 93 13 90 90).

If the sculptor holds no secrets for the public in respect of his favourite discipline, he still surprises some spectators with his pencil drawings, washes, gouaches and water-colours. The 30 water-colours exhibited here (mostly combinations of graphite pencil, gouache and water-colour) have been selected to illustrate the importance Auguste Rodin gave to colour. “Rodin et la Couleur” thus shows the change undergone by the artist in his conception of the human figure. This new medium in fact gave him the opportunity to experiment with the fluidity of forms, nudes and faces from a different angle, with an autonomy that sculpture did not allow. Until June 21th, at the Musée de l’Annonciade, Saint-Tropez (04 94 17 84 10).

CB stands for Christopher Bauer, JC for Julien Camy. In the new space (Espace Initial) of the gallery Depardieu, the designer and photographer propose a project for four hands. It is a kind of meeting between their paintings and photographs, organized to tell a story, the famous story... From May, 5th to 29th, at the Galerie Depardieu, Nice (04 97 12 12 99).

“Uncle Vanya in the Country” is a work by Chekhov revisited and performed outdoors by a merry troupe. Spectators sit on bales of straw and attend an innovative version of this well-known classic. There are seventeen actors who deploy all their energy and talent for the duration of this off-beat cultural escapade. Highly original and enjoyable ! From May, 24th to 26th at the Plateau de Roquevignon, Grasse (04 93 40 53 04).

For the first time, contemporary art has invited itself to the Museum of Oceanography which is thus celebrating its centennial in a highly original way. Who better to choose than Damien Hirst for this confrontation between art and science ? The artist and his “Natural History” series in fact blend very well with the museum’s extraordinary collection of marine specimens and underwater fauna. Assembled under the title “Cornucopia”, 60 major works, paintings, sculptures and other creations trace the last 15 years in the career of this talented British artist. From small canvases made of butterflies’ wings to monumental sculptures, via a dove and a lamb both suspended in the air and preserved in formaldehyde, this exhibition leaves no visitor indifferent. Until September 30th at Musée Océanographique, Monaco (00 377 93 15 36 00).

One expresses himself through installations made of perishable materials (bread, dog biscuits, eggs, flour, cream pudding...), the other paints and draws. Michel Blazy focuses on passing time and the way things disappear, while Jean-Luc Blanc concentrates on ghosts and paints portraits with a supernatural appearance. Step inside the “Jardin Fantôme” ! Until June 13th at the Galerie de la Marine, Nice (04 93 91 92 91).

How do we perceive today photos which caused a sensation over 20 years ago for their novelty, radicalism and demands ? That’s the question posed by this “Parcours Photographique” in Marseille. At the initiative of the Ateliers de l'Image, many shots taken by Dieter Appelt, Jean-Marc Bustamante, John Coplans and Suzanne Lafont, among others, are on display. Until May 23th, at "Musée d’art contemporain" of Marseille (04 91 25 01 07).

The whole world fights over his work and the most important museums have already devoted many exhibitions to it : Colombian artist Fernando Botero is always unanimously acclaimed. His art is distinguished by his opulent characters who live in a colourful world and delight fans of the genre. Recently, and more precisely since 2006, the artist has been inspired by the circus, this atypical world on which he has based numerous paintings and sculptures in bronze. Among the latest, we can admire in this new exhibition, “Circus Woman” and “Cyclista” (oils on canvas), “Toreador” and “Standing Woman” (water-colours on paper), “Leda and the Swan”and “Reclining Woman” (sculptures). Until June 18th juin at the Galerie Marlborough Monaco (00 377 97 70 25 50).

The world's top 30 riders, the best “dresseurs” in the world and the inexhaustible charm of the Croisette come together and make this equestrian event an absolute must, year after year. It is the French leg of the Global Champions Tour (presented by Jaeger-LeCoultre) and the World Dressage Masters. From June 10th to 12th at Stade des Hespérides, Cannes (04 92 68 62 77).

“Designing an itinerary of sculptures within a natural progression that takes into account the size of the spaces and the works,” - that’s the idea behind this unusual art project. The Haras de Gassin is thus adorned with superb pieces, figurative and non-figurative (including those of Jacky Coville, Marion Burkle and Philippe Pastor, photo above), and invites visitors to enjoy a poetic and surprising stroll. From June 18th to September 30th, at Polo Club de Saint-Tropez, Gassin (04 94 55 22 12).

He progressed from abstract to figurative work in just one brush-stroke, and this, under the influence of European artists such as Delacroix and Bonnard. But it was especially after discovering the works of Matisse that Robert De Niro Sr. decided to give new shape to his art. In both paintings and drawings, the American artist then portrayed the world in a more perceptible manner, whilst maintaining its abstract essence. Today, it is quite natural that his compositions hang alongside those of the master. The exhibition “Après avoir vu Matisse, Robert de Niro Sr. - Peintures et Dessins” enables the spectator to place in parallel two extraordinary paths that have found a fruitful meeting-point, proving that Robert de Niro Sr. is not merely the progenitor of one of the greatest American actors. Until May 31th at Musée Matisse, Nice (04 93 81 08 08).

Artist Patrice Racois presents four of his monumental sculptures, magnificent pieces of extraordinary realism and power. A strong symbolic effect emerges from his work, as he considers each work as a renaissance. The materials are diverse, the technical resources extensive, and the imagination simply unbridled ! From April 1st to May 25th at the JPB Art Gallery, Saint-Tropez (06 11 81 70 19).

George Rousse has found his speciality : he unearths places slated for demolition, transforms, paints and rebuilds them in his own way before immortalizing them through his lens. Last November, he thus invested the site of the Station-Lebon, Rue Meyerbeer, and produced a work which is now part of the Collections of the City of Nice. Along with this most recent achievement, visitors can see the photograph entitled “Nice 2009” together with a score of other large-format creations, some accompanied by their preparatory sketches, drawings and paintings. Until May 16th at Théâtre de la Photographie et de l’Image, Nice (04 97 13 42 20).

Jean-Antoine Hierro is the “Artist of the dress-object” that he presents using various techniques (collage, compression, paint drips, obliteration, accumulation...) and on different themes. The one proposed here ? Toys, assembled in the form of dresses, of course ! These pieces gain in volume and the spirit of the ’seventies/’eighties reigns supreme. From April 1st to May 31th at Galerie Ferrero, Nice (04 93 88 34 44).

Jacques Bellay stages the famous novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “Le Petit Prince”. He also plays the role of this pilot in a leather jacket who breaks his engine and meets a strange little fellow. A philosophical dive into the world of childhood based on the poetry of a cult text, but also on souvenir images and video projections. From April 28th to May 19th, Théâtre de Nice (04 93 13 90 90).

A good description for Wim Delvoye. This Flemish artist cultivates his taste for derision and creates without setting any limits : tattooed pigs, bird houses decorated with sado-masochistic accessories, a football goal in a stained-glass window with a fake marble floor made of ham... His drawings and models surprise, challenge and lead to reflection. For this exhibition, Wim Delvoye has selected tattooed pigs, Gothic models and works on Christ on the cross. Accomplishments that give a glimpse of the artistic, graphic and sculptural quality of this decidedly off-beat artist. Until May 23th at MAMAC, Nice (04 97 13 42 01).

Trained at the Villa Arson, Eve Petruschi then joined the group known as KIT, undertaking many projects and acting as curator for exhibitions. Today, she is presenting her work under the title “Périscope”. These drawings, collages and sculptures that she produces from a photographic source immortalize very special landscapes : areas of wasteland, zones under construction, abandoned or industrial areas, storage facilities... Eve Petruschi focuses her attention on the evolution of these places which can be orderly, disordered, deserted, rehabilitated or occupied. More than just an exhibition, she offers spectators very different atmospheres... Until June 12th at the Galerie a., Nice (04 93 80 07 48).

Built in 1989 by the renowned architect Frank O. Gehry, the Vitra Design Museum at Weil-am-Rhein in Germany houses a collection of over 1,800 items, mainly consisting of seats (from 1820 to the present day). It is from this collection that 80 works have been selected and brought together for the duration of an exhibition entitled “Icons or Design ?”. Illustrating a century of creation (from 1890 to 1999), they are signed Carlo Bugatti, Adolf Loos, Otto Wagner, Le Corbusier, Lassar Lissitzky, Charles Eames, Javier Mariscal, Tom Dixon, Philippe Starck… Until May 16th, at Château de Villeneuve, Vence (04 93 58 15 78).

Since the creation of his character, M, in 1997, Matthieu Chedid has won one success after another. His fourth studio album entitled “Mystère Mister” again confirms, as if it were necessary, his incredible talent. “Le Roi des Ombres” again adopts his unusual hairstyle, promising new antics on a frenzied stage. March 9th at Zénith Oméga de Toulon and March 26th at Salle Nikaïa, Nice.