We are talking about Hervé Caël, 50 years old, a figure in political and social life, whom we met to discuss “Niceart,” a very beautiful book of images and texts.
Nice Premium: What is the origin of your initiative?
Hervé Caël: Nice has very beautiful works of art that, being part of the urban framework, are not necessarily highlighted. In short, it’s as if we see them without really looking at them! And yet, each one is a magnificent work that deserves to be admired. I thought it would be good to create some sort of inventory and offer it to the general public.
NP: A commendable initiative because indeed one can discover works that we aren’t accustomed to appreciating at their true value…
HC: Yes, exactly. Nice expresses its artistic tradition in contemporary art through the globally known and appreciated School of Nice, and we have many local artists or those who have chosen Nice as their city of residence, along with art galleries such as the Ferrero or Sapone Galleries.
We truly have a considerable artistic heritage, even if not always valued from a tourist perspective.
I appreciated that the former Mayor Jacques Peyrat wanted to “furnish” each stop of line 1. I think the quality of our life improves if we live in a pleasant environment.
Beauty does not go against efficiency, quite the opposite. I would like the same to happen when we have line number 2 of the tramway with one exception: that we call upon local artists in order to support them in a career that is not always easy and which requires recognition.
NP: You are truly passionate about art…
HC: I would answer you frankly: I love my profession as a doctor, my involvement in the associative world, and… art. I like promoting the intervention of artists in healthcare establishments which are, by definition, sad places, and whose environment can be improved with the presence of artistic achievements. This is something I regularly do at Belvédère Clinic where you can currently admire a photography exhibition organized by the “Photon” association.
NP: Are you satisfied with this experience that is truly different from your professional activities?
HC: I had immense pleasure in realizing it and I hope that readers will be able to “feel an emotion, a sentiment” like I did by looking at the photos and reading the texts that accompany them.
But above all, I would like this book to give them the desire to go and admire these works in reality!
Thanks, in any case, to two artists who greatly supported me, Sacha Sosno and Patrick Moya, who wrote the preface. And thanks also to the MAMAC staff who helped me draft the texts.
NiceArt – Nice an open-air museum of contemporary art
by Hervé Cael
preface by Patrick Moya
Baie de Anges Publishing House
www.baiedesanges-editions.com
