For the diocese of Nice, the traditional Artists’ Mass 2016 takes place this evening at 6 PM, Ash Wednesday, within the setting of the Church of Saint Pierre d’Arène, according to the wish of Adolphe Léon Willette (1857-1926).
Since 1926, on the occasion of this mass, artists from around the world gather to show their solidarity, share their experiences, and their commitment.
This year, more than a hundred artists are gathering around the theme of “votive offering.”
Among the works created especially for the occasion, there will be on the altar the chalice by Jérémy Taburchi, a kind of “Grail” of the School of Nice in the sense that it incorporates Yves Klein’s three colors (blue, pink, and gold).
Other astonishing works await the pilgrims for one evening, gathered at the beginning of each Lent at Willette’s invitation to “pray for those who will die in the year.”
The chaplain for the artists, Brother Yves-Marie Lequin, a Dominican priest, is himself an artist. He has been painting for more than twenty-five years almost exclusively with inks and gouaches on paper, more than seven thousand to date, which are regularly exhibited. His works serve as iconographic support for various publications.
