Art Of The Day Weekly

Perpignan, between Rigaud and Picasso

PERPIGNAN – Native son Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659-1743), was born, like Napoléon, on the eve of seeing his region join the kingdom of France. The son of a tailor, who was surely not meant to have a great destiny, he triumphed at the court of Versailles, where he became the official portrait artist of the powerful Bourbon family, and in particular of Louis XIV and Louis XV. He is represented with dignity in the two hôtels particuliers of Mailly and Lazerme, soberly but elegantly adapted to their functions by the agency Barbotin Larrieu. The rich collection of Gothic works, in a specific Roussillon version, had another interesting period at the beginning of the 20th century when the avant-gardes (Maillol, Matisse, Picasso, as well as local artists such as Terrus) met at Céret or Collioure. It was actually Picasso who painted the billboard for the inauguration: during a less-known period of his life he often visited one of the private homes in which the museum sits today. Between 1953 and 1955, he was often invited by the Lazerme family at a sensitive moment in his life since he had just separated from François Gilot to get closer to his last companion, Jacqueline Roque. In a very warm atmosphere, these summer weeks nourished an unrestrained and joyous creativity: portraits, collages and even towel rails! It was also an opportunity for an impressive ballet of personalities, including Kahnweiler, Leiris, Cocteau, toreros, and even young singer Mouloudji, who interacted with the maestro, either for lunch or at the corrida, before he decided to increasingly isolate himself in his homes on the Côte d’Azur.
• The musée d’art Hyacinthe Rigaud will reopen to the public on 24 June 2017.

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