The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
A riot of French couleur...
The Junor Gallery, St Andrews, until June 30
When Junor Gallery director Beth Junor came across the work of French artist Laurent Dessupoiu, she was holidaying in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France.
Beth explains: “Whenever I am travelling I try to visit the public library. I went in and there was an exhibition of Laurent’s work.
“I was completely bowled over by it, I thought it was marvellous and very uplifting.
“I was already thinking about opening a gallery after retiring, so I took a leaflet from the exhibition and emailed Laurent .”
This happening upon Laurent’s work has led to his first ever solo exhibition in the UK being held in St Andrews.
Laurent lives and works at his studio, which is located halfway between Marseilles and Avignon. He is a painter as well as a sculptor and has exhibited widely in the south of France as well as Paris, Geneva, New York, Beijing, Brussels and most recently Monaco.
The 10 works on show in St Andrews are all bold, bright text-based paintings in acrylic – some in French and others in English. The exhibition opened while the StAnza poetry festival was running, with Laurent’s work providing a perfect link between the visual and literary arts.
The formal opening was delayed due to the bad snow in early March and Laurent arrived on March 8 – International Women’s Day – when the gallery was hosting poetry readings.
Beth explains: “Everyone who met him was so happy to meet him – he just exuded warmth. He doesn’t speak a lot of English, but he still manages to make a lasting impression on people.”
In France, Laurent’s work falls under the Figuration Libre or Free Figuration movement – a style of art that aims to be accessible, bold and based on everyday life.
Beth continues: “Some of the works are quite poignant, but they all reflect the realities of life – most of them are contemplative and uplifting.
“There’s one at the entrance to the gallery, ‘Le bonheur c’est pas grand chose, c’est juste du chagrin qui se repose’ that is by a singer called Léo Ferré and translates as ‘happiness is only sorrow having a rest’.”
The largest work, ‘It’s a Grand Thing to Get Leave to Live’, has an entire wall of the gallery to itself. This is a tribute to Nan Shepherd (1893-1981), one of Scotland’s best-loved novelists and nature writers, whose image can now be found on the £5 note.
Beth adds: “People love the colour, the warmth and repetition of the words – it’s so refreshing.”
Laurent says: “I had a wonderful stay in Scotland and St Andrews – it’s exotic for a Mediterranean like me. I am very proud to have my first exhibition in the UK there.”