Contemporary art galleries are numerous in Nice. Well-established or ephemeral, they demonstrate a certain vitality of the private cultural actors in our city. This past weekend, I visited two places that I did not know yet.
The new gallery of Christian Depardieu, nestled in the former Gioffredo passage (now known as rue du Docteur Guidoni), is a spacious and elegant space with street-facing windows that give the strange feeling of capturing pictorial compositions unknown to passersby when inside, and to visitors when outside. The exhibition of the day is actually a medley of works by artists who have contributed to the glory and reputation of the Depardieu gallery on boulevard Risso: Jean-Pierre Giovanelli and his mysterious floating burqas, Sylvana Lorentz and her provocative self-nudes, Frédérique Nalbadian… To be seen until May 16.
The gallery “Le 22” at the same number on rue de Dijon in the heart of the historic 5th canton is a relatively intimate space that encourages meetings and exchanges. It is managed with discretion and care by Carine Michels (one of my former students). Until May 31, it presents the exhibition Cannibal Kiss by photographer Frédéric Nakache, who also happens to be one of my former students. The works astonish with the density of their material and intrigue with their ironic punctuation of objects reminiscent of death.
by Patrick Mottard
