In May, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat hosts art

After the month dedicated to the sea, the municipality of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat dedicates the month of May to art, a theme close to the hearts of the people of Saint-Jean. The village will be transformed into an open-air art gallery and will also be the playground for some nationally and internationally renowned artists, as well as a place for discoveries, meetings, and sharing for art lovers.

Both young and old will be able to enjoy a rich program through numerous outdoor exhibitions, dedicated spaces, and vibrant events such as the Pigment Festival: Urban Art Festival, or the Chalk Festival, to unleash the creativity of both adults and children.

One of the highlights of this month of May will be the unveiling of a unique statue in the world, The Medusa of Travelers, for an unprecedented artistic tribute to the sea and the Mediterranean heritage.

Since the arrival of the new municipal team 10 years ago, the opportunity has been offered every year to some renowned artists to exhibit their works outdoors in public spaces. The peninsula is a remarkable showcase to highlight works of every style from Sosno to Jenk, from Marcos Marin to Nicolas Lavarenne…

This year, the outdoor exhibition also pays posthumous tribute to the Lebanese artist Alfred Basbous, who would have turned 100 in 2024. In continuation of the friendship pact signed in 2022, this exhibition will be an artistic bridge between Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and the cultural capital of Lebanon, Byblos.

Thanks to Sandro Cotza, Director of Arttravels, visitors will be able to admire 11 monumental bronze works by the artist, known for their dynamic, elegant, and sometimes mysterious shapes. This outdoor exhibition will complement the already rich artistic offer proposed in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, which counts no less than 5 art galleries to discover.

In parallel, numerous temporary exhibitions will be organized in May and throughout the year; after all, what better connection could there be between the Month of the Sea and the Month of Art than the exhibition initiated by the artist François Chapelain-Midy’s wife: “La Beauté à nos pieds”.

Starting from May 3rd, visitors will be able to take advantage of this exhibition of 30 bronze sculptures, directly extracted from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris: this bestiary mainly populated by insects, whose mystery and plasticity have fascinated the artist who transfigured them into patinated bronze, will be visible in the Namouna space until May 26th.

On May 11th, at the beginning of the Cannes International Film Festival, it will be an “Odyssey”. The artist Diane Detalle will start a dialogue with the famous Hollywood actor Billy Zane, whose painting work inspired by the landscapes of his shooting locations is as well-known overseas as his film career. From * to May 19th, the Neptune space will come to life with meetings, exchanges, “live painting”, for moments of sharing and awakening around art and the senses.

These exhibitions are a true invitation to explore the depths of creativity, a search that highlights the unlimited possibilities that emerge when artists tap into untapped reservoirs of creativity. Artists have always chosen this paradisiacal peninsula where an undeniable creative energy reigns. From Somerset Maugham to Winston Churchill, whose unique landscapes have inspired some of their most beautiful works, from David Niven to Elisabeth Taylor who came to rejuvenate, from Grace Kelly to Lily Collins, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, where some of the most beautiful scenes of cinema were shot or, like Jean Cocteau, who tattooed the walls of the famous Villa Santo Sospir on the advice of his friends Matisse and Picasso, remains an oasis of peace that deeply inspires artists.

The municipality continues to keep up with its time and it is therefore natural that within the framework of the celebrations of the 120 years, this project of an Urban Art Festival was born: the Pigment Festival. Urban art is now recognized as a full-fledged art and the French Riviera hides many talented artists who envy us.

From May 20th to 26th, the Whole Street collective celebrates 12 artists: Jen Miller, Ernesto Novo, Otom, Brian Caddy, Django, Tse, Artmor1, Aroke, Hka, Faben, Clodart, who will compete in the realization of monumental frescoes and on walls of free expression scattered in the heart of the village during a weekend dedicated to Street-Art: on May 25th and 26th.

Many surprises await visitors: meetings, exhibitions, initiations, workshops, live painting, dance demos with the association Cléa and the dance school Top Dance, DJ sets with the Solair collective and the participation of Raphaël Chiquet, BMX world champion.

The street artist Jérémy Besset, on the other hand, will invite us to a moment of joy and celebration at the Chalk Festival. The elementary school of Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat will become for a day the hub of chalk distribution, for the creation of ephemeral works in the village, involving both budding and urban artists.

Do not miss the inauguration of a monumental sculpture, “The Medusa of Travelers,” on May 15th, at 11 am, which will be unveiled by the Mayor of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Jean-François Dieterich, and the Municipal Council, in the presence of prestigious personalities and the world of the sea, for an unprecedented tribute to the preservation of the oceans.