“Long discredited in favor of painting, drawing is making a comeback in fine arts learning as well as in museums and galleries,” underlines Frédéric Pajak. The author, designer and founder of the publishing house Les Cahiers Dessinés, an Arlésian for six years, launched a unique festival in France in his adopted city, the second edition of which opens on April 20. In addition to big names, such as Jean Dubuffet, Alberto Giacometti, Oskar Kokoschka, Félix Vallotton and Joseph Beuys, the exhibition curator went in search of emerging artists, mainly women, whose studio he visited. “Meeting the artist is always a moving moment, especially when we tell him that we are going to exhibit him,” he comments.
The black chalk drawings of Sophie Baduel, the monumental formats of Clara Marciano and the singular engravings of Lucile Piketty thus join the first sketches of René Goscinny, the little-known works of Georges Wolinski or the astonishing forest landscapes of Jean-Luc Favéro, designed in the husk of walnuts on the paper of old accounting records. As during the Photography Meetings which take place all summer, we wander through the historic heart of the city… without being crushed by the heat. “The very beautiful chapel of the Museon Arlaten, all white, very museum-like, has been reserved for the work of Tomi Ungerer. We show his political and sarcastic drawings”, explains Frédéric Pajak.
The Church of the Trinitarians will host an installation by Stéphane Calais, an artist present in the collections of the Center Pompidou. Thanks to the support of the National Library of France, the festival unveils astonishing etchings by Charles Meryon and Adolphe Martial Potémont which document 19th century Parise century. Arles is an ideal city to visit outside of the crowds, by entering its Renaissance mansions or pushing open the doors of ancient religious buildings which open up to drawing in all its forms.
Drawing Festivalin Arles, from April 20 to May 19.
A poetic bookstore
“L’Archa des Carmes is one of the smallest bookstores in the city. She devotes herself mainly to poetry. This genre brings together many small publishers: faced with such diversity, we say to ourselves that poetry is not dead! The bookstore also sells some fundamental books such as Kafka’s Diary. Finally, she often organizes meetings. The place is very pretty with its ancient stone walls. »
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