Buffalo Bill, along with Davy Crockett and Kit Carson, is one of those heroes millions of little boys have emulated in their childhood games. They have been a part of the childhood of those who have become parents or grandparents. Buffalo Bill is still the subject of a dinner show for tourists presented by a theme park in the Paris area, proof that nearly a hundred years after his death he is still attracting crowds.
But there is no need to spend a lot of money to learn about the exciting life of this figure from the American West conquest; you can do it for free and in a more personal and lively way in the charming town of Tourrette Levens in the Nice hinterland. And you will not be disappointed with the trip, which you can make either by car (free parking provided) or by bus from Nice (for 2 euros for a round trip).
Do you know of any other town in France where the council chamber and marriage hall are adorned with original works by renowned contemporary artists, all donated in gratitude for unwavering and passionate support for culture?
Some clues. Its mayor, the “good doctor” Frère, has long presided over the cultural commission of the Alpes-Maritimes General Council, a body of which he is still one of the vice-presidents. But this individual is especially a circus fanatic since the age of four, a true living encyclopedia recognized worldwide.
Isn’t he one of the artistic advisors of the prestigious Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival, an event he initiated in 1974 with Prince Rainier III? He has set up—in the basement of his house—a real private circus museum made up of gifts from the greatest families of performers spanning generations, as well as from his own acquisitions around the world. When he talks about it, his passion is so infectious that you can only hope to have the privilege of visiting it with his commentary.
Buffalo Bill was my own childhood hero,” confesses Alain Frère, summarizing a man’s passion for a remarkable figure. From his earliest childhood, he was immersed in the world of Buffalo Bill through stories his father (Alain Frère’s father) had seen at the Médrano circus. A childhood passion that led him to seek out as many items of this often-controversial Wild West hero as possible.
Part of this “treasure hunt” culminated in an exhibition dedicated to Buffalo Bill at the Marseille History Museum for over four months in 2008.
But this time, “Frère” is the sole “exhibitor” of an exceptional exhibition held in his department and especially in his town. He has agreed—with all the affection he is known for—to reveal a part of his personal life until September 13.
Another character, Jean-Alexandre Delattre, a sculptor from Somme but internationally recognized for his impressive-sized pieces, also drew exclusively from his childhood memories. For him too, Buffalo Bill is an unforgettable hero, and he created the sculpture—at the entrance to the Chubac space—not from any photograph or drawing, just his memories and feelings as a child. Well done, artist!
It’s no coincidence that both men teamed up on this Buffalo Bill project, not just because this former metalworker was already represented in Tourette-Levens, but clearly, there is some sort of connection between them, to say the least.
They surely would have loved to be in the audience in Nice for the last French stage of the European tour “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West,” a show that lasted four days in the capital of the French Riviera, an event already immortalized by Jean Gilletta and his photographs.
Seeing fifty-two 30-meter-long cars, representing the contents of four special trains that arrived in Nice from Draguignan before heading to Italy on March 13, 1906, is not an everyday occurrence as portrayed by our colleagues at the time, amazed by the technical mastery of the setup and disassembly but also by the “American-style” showmanship, a term that well reflects the atmosphere and has remained. A special panel on the right as you enter summarizes it with text and images.
