Home >  Journal Main >  Le Mas d'Aligny  <Prev Next>

Le Mas d'Aligny

A woman's face surmounted with a hat rendered in cut sheet-bronze, polished to a bright satin with petina only in some deep recesses. the profile of the nose and right brow being defined by a single cut and repositioning of the sheet. Hair and lips are made of trimmings.

  This show at Le Mas d'Aligny presented the work of some 40 different contemporary sculptors who must be the best from this area.  All of the work was skillfully executed, predominately representational and figurative.  Most of the artists live in this area.  I found this show thanks to my mother-in-law who has been keeping her eye out for interesting exhibitions for me.  Thank you Josette. 
  At left is "Terpsichore" (the muse of dance) which was one of  ten pieces by Tosello.  It seems that a lot of artists prefer to go by one name only.
deep green sculpted hedges separate private gardens each containing a small swimming pool.
    Le Mas d'Aligny is a four-star hotel just outside of St Paul de Vence. Amongst the things that impressed me (besides their sophisticated appreciation for art) was that each of the terrace rooms opened onto a private garden complete with a small swimming pool.  The grounds were quiet and beautifully maintained.  The staff were kind and helpful as well.  I highly recommend it for anyone looking for first class accommodations.   Note the shape of the hedges.  The gardeners here in France have a long tradition of molding foliage into various shapes.  Note the height is rigidly constrained but the plane of the walls is merely held at bay.
The profile of three women in long dresses are cut out of sheet steel of varying petinas such that the first appears orange while the two in back appear almost like shadows of the first. The women walk together holding a tube that seems like a rope. Several other sculptures are visible in the distance.
   The sculpture exhibition was in the garden that surrounds the main building of the hotel.  Off in the distance is a view of the Cote d'Azur and the Mediterranean.
Large abstract fish painted blue in front of the main pool with the main building and conference center in back.

  The main building houses the lobby, conference rooms (each hung with an exhibit of a painters work) and a few guest rooms above.  This is the main swimming area. 

An abstract totem of polished wood of two colors. More sculptures in the background.   Most of the pieces were in bronze (or made to appear that way) but this untitled abstract "totem" by Nigel Ritche was in polished wood (natural and burnt).
Life-sized bronze man seems to be trying to navigate while suspended several feet above the ground on poles. He looks foreward with an intense look.   Rather than abstracting the figure to obtain a level of mystery "Le Grand Depart" by Nicolas Laverenne uses a realistic figure in an unexpected way.  The intense look on the man's face did not come across as sentimental.  I looked at other works of his on line and they are all this figure on poles.  born 53
Two abstract figures, one in blue with sharp corners, the other in yellow with rounded corners.
   To me this pair of figures in laquered aluminum by Quirin Mayer reduces the interaction between male and female to geometric forms with the added emphasis of color.   His sculpture reflects his background as an abstract painter who emphasizes graphic design.  I think he lives here in the Cote d'Azure.
An abstracted danser in a somewhat "Archipenko" style of polished and patinated bronze has sensuous lines and geometric forms for features but remains clearly figuritive.
   This sensuous figure, "La Danseuse" by Marion Burkle, reduces some human features to geometric forms while keeping others quite explicit.  This piece is some eight feet tall but I saw an even larger version permanently installed at the Palm Beach Casino in Cannes.  Most of Burkle's work invokes the youthful curves of a young woman.  She lives in Cannes.
An abstraction of a man is green except for his brightly colored head and hands. Colored pencils poke out of the forearms like cactus spines. Perhaps the artist is finding that his interest in art is injuring those people he tries to embrace.
   This, "L'homme Cactus" by Paco Segastsa, was one of the more playful pieces.  The cactus spikes in the arms are made of colored pencils.  Perhaps his art is a defense.
image of the list of artists in the exhibition catalogue
 When I got home and wrote up this page I realized I was missing some of the artists.  At left is the hotel's list of contributors but some are still missing. 


6 Octobre 2005

Home >  Journal Main >  Le Mas d'Aligny  <Prev Next>