Wednesday 30 October 2024

I went to Arles and discovered an artist

 As you wander the streets of Arles, echoes of the past are with you always. It's like no other place I've ever been. Like much of France it has a frayed beauty. Everywhere you look there is something interesting. A feast for the eyes. A crinkly smile comes to me as you look up at a quant building.

Van Gogh fell in love with the place; it's not hard to understand why. It's packed full of Roman and mediaeval architecture. So centre ville won't have changed that much since his time. There is a photograph around every corner, and I've probably taken that many. Here are a selection:











LUMA

There's an old industrial area just outside the centre of town. Some of the old warehousing still exists. The whole site has been turned into a park and exhibition centre called LUMA. The gardens are beautiful and they are also home to some sculpture. The industrial buildings now hold changing exhibitions. A striking new tower, designed by Frank Gehry, also provides a focus point and also houses further exhibitions. Have some more photos:












William Kentridge

One of the buildings in the grounds of LUMA housed an exhibition by someone I'd never heard of, William Kentridge, a South African artist. As soon as I walked in my jaw dropped. Why had I never heard of William? He’s a dadaist and I love his work. Here’s a few pictures from the exhibition:








VAN GOGH FOUNDATION

In contract to LUMA, the Vincent Van Gogh Foundation was slightly disappointing. I didn’t expect any Van Gogh but I suppose I expected something a bit more.


Anyway were were actually blessed with a Van Gogh:



And to be fair there was a bit of interesting art, but I had hoped for more.






Starry Starry Night

Sadly there weren't any, but wandering around Arles at night is a very pleasant pastime. It will be a place to return to.






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