The works of Jacques Cordier, an anthem to the Côte d’Azur

From October 27 to January 8, 2023, the exhibition “Musings on the French Riviera” by Jacques Cordier will be displayed at the Masséna Museum. Through his paintings of Nice, Antibes, and Saint-Tropez, the artist pays homage to the French Riviera.

Thanks to his works, which have been presented in many world capitals such as Rome, Tokyo, and New York, the French Riviera has shone brightly all over the world. Then, 14 years after his last exhibition, his work can once again be admired, and where better than in Nice, the source of his inspiration.

Jacques Cordier 

The French artist joined the community school on Rue Lepic in 1943. He wasn’t particularly interested in his studies, except for drawing, where he excelled. Quickly developing a passion for painting, he embarked on a career as a painter. 

His first works were landscapes of Paris and its surroundings in Chinese ink.

In the 1960s, Jacques Cordier depicted the South with more vivid colors, using a knife with which he worked with light by spreading, scraping, digging, and cross-hatching the paint.

It was after discovering the warm colors of this region during his vacations and more lastingly after his marriage to Simone Duckstein in 1966 that Jacques Cordier painted iconic places of the French Riviera.

In 1970, he encountered Turner’s paintings, marking a new direction in his career. Thus, he discovered watercolor, and from then on primarily used this technique. The artist sought through this medium to depict atmospheres rather than realistic landscapes. And when he painted in oil, he treated them like his watercolors to give a light tone to his paintings.

Then from ’73 to ’75, everything spread in light and color.

From Shadow to Light

This exhibition is a retrospective of an artist who knew how to use all the light of the territory through his painting, this light that inspires many artists.

In the first room, we can admire the watercolors that were intended for a project in 1975. Unfortunately, it never came to fruition, as Jacques Cordier passed away suddenly the same year, at the age of 38. Jean d’Ormesson had a book project with the painter entitled “Musings on the French Riviera,” in which the illustrations would be by Jacques Cordier and the texts written by d’Ormesson himself.

During the rest of the visit, we discover the artist’s works in chronological order. Indeed, most people know the “Cordier blue” but not necessarily his early works, which contrast sharply with the remainder of his work. Therefore, the curator of the exhibition also wanted to revisit his early artistic years.

As mentioned earlier, his first works belong to the post-war figurative art movement, featuring rather muted tones and urban landscapes.

And it was afterward, after moving to Saint-Tropez, that his work changed; it was a revelation to live in that light.

The region is an endless source of inspiration, and the same was true for Jacques Cordier.