aixcentric

I have occasionally posted about the work of this exuberant Provencal painter and been surprised at the subsequent interest in these posts.  So here for all art-lovers is a heads-up on a forthcoming exhibition of his work at the Musée des Beaux Arts in Nimes this summer.

Rene Seyssaud’s paintings are wonderfully colourful and totally rooted in our region.  He was born in Marseille and although he travelled to Paris and exhibited there, he chose to stay in Provence.  He married a local lady and lived in an isolated house near l’Etang de Berre, very much in tune with nature.

His paintings reflect the passing of the seasons with workers on the land, sowing seeds, gathering lavender or bringing in the harvest.  Unlike Millet where the people are predominant, Seyssaud’s workers are an integral part of the landscape, not characters in their own right.  But, he could paint fine portraits, and his still lifes feature local produce in Provencal pots – tians, pots à graisse, cruches.

Thanks to a Marseille gallery, the Galerie Alexis Pentcheff, for this information: during the lock-down, they are promoting, online, the work of a Provencal artist each month.  Currently it is Seyssaud and the curator of the forthcoming exhibition, Madame Claude Jeanne Sury-Bonnici, has contributed background info on the artist and photos of the family.   Have a look: http://57gp.mjt.lu/nl2/57gp/mvm9q.html?m=AL8AAGtex3cAAcn0oB4AAGXK9YYAAP__LQAAFx8LAAVPDgBefMO66Lec1joYSAKCyllEocv6KgAFFyI&b=e3f426da&e=e4eb919c&x=kbdTQzyP3vJYzq1zeujKHomyLxuR8mbY-HEe5wBBerY

The exhibition is 10th July 2020 -10 January 2021, let’s hope we are let out by July!

And if you do visit Nimes, don’t forget the splendid new Musée de la Romanité, reviewed here: https://aixcentric.com/2018/10/14/a-must-visit-stylish-new-museum-in-nimes/