If you’ve decided to come to La Colle-sur-Loup to attend one of the many evenings of the Festival “Rencontres autour des notes et des mots” (Encounters around Notes and Words), you have chosen to participate in a festival where the word ‘encounter’ still holds meaning.
However, you shouldn’t stop there without making a stop at “Le Saint Graal,” located on Yves Klein Street at the entrance of the village from Cagnes-sur-Mer, which is one-way.
A First Temporary Exhibition Before New Surprises
Why? Here you will meet two women who have decided to combat the surrounding gloom by doubling their antique shop with a contemporary art gallery that will not fail to provide some surprises…
After seven years dedicated to their antique business—Yves Klein Street even being named “the street of antique dealers”—Dominique and her daughter Nathalie Conan seized the opportunity to acquire the premises next to their store to create a somewhat unique space. They decided to set up a contemporary art gallery where eclecticism will reign supreme with thematic spaces and contemporary creation.
To kick off the temporary exhibitions, they chose another remarkable woman, the illustrator Virginie Broquet. A “little woman” who exudes joy of life and sharing her journeys around the planet, which results in astonishing travel notebooks and a meeting with Richard Bohringer, on a nearly deserted evening at Dakar airport, leading to the creation of “Carnet du Sénégal,” which she—of course—illustrated.
Her latest work, the drawings for the recipe book by Sabine Cassel, Vincent’s mother, where vegetables become characters, somewhat reminiscent of what the late Jean-Marc Eusébi did until transposing them into a play.
Throughout the opening day, the woman from Nice effortlessly and always smilingly engaged in the book signing.
A day when Klein Street was closed to traffic to allow the public—which was hoped to be very numerous—to roam and appreciate the setting until reaching Le Saint Graal!
With Lilas Spak hosting the event—who will present on the 23rd at Chèvre d’Or in Eze the new edition of her Costa Azzura guide—owners Dominique and Nathalie truly “pulled out all the stops.” An ever-replenished buffet was waiting inside, the bar was “open” in front of the window, all to the sounds of jazz played by local musicians.
Despite the sunshine, the warm reception, good music, drinks and food at no cost, and a local artist of international stature, Klein Street was not “swarming” with people, which was somewhat disappointing given the human and financial investment.
Continued Exploration at La Colle-sur-Loup
This did not escape Christian Berkesse, the mayor and newly appointed president of the Tourist Office, nor Karel Boulogne, the new director who only had to walk from his office to Le Saint Graal. Especially since Nathalie must have shared with them—away from prying ears—her legitimate disappointment at not seeing more people join in this initiative to animate the village differently.
Pioneers are often observed before the large movement, and this first event was no exception to the unfortunate habit. But the presence of some journalists, including a Parisian radio “Radio Evasions” and Philippe Tallois, president of the Mediterranean Press Club 06, shows that the initiative was noticed even though La Colle-sur-Loup still lives in the shadow of its more famous neighbor, Saint-Paul de Vence.
Another place to discover during your visit to La Colle-sur-Loup is L’Abbaye, which has once again become a renowned hotel-restaurant thanks to Sylviane Huges and her son Stéphane.
In 1997, they decided to breathe new life into what was once a cultural hotspot in the post-war period, a meeting place for artists and notably a residence for painters.
This former abbey, built by the monks of Lérins, initially served as a stopover for the abbot who came to the bishops’ assemblies in Vence. The place was so comfortable that it became the monks’ winter residence. Its past deserves to be known, but its present should not be ignored, and that is one of the current owners’ missions.
With all this, you will not be surprised to know that Virginie Broquet also exhibits in the chapel of what has become the Hôtel Abbaye but has managed to retain the atmosphere that made its religious and tourist reputation famous.
Now you will no longer come to La Colle-sur-Loup, to Le Saint Graal or to L’Abbaye by chance, but do take your time to relish all the pleasures there.
