The shadow of Guillaume Gillet still hangs over the town of Royan (Charente-Maritime).
He modified the horizon with what he considered his masterpiece, the Notre-Dame church.
According to his wishes, he is also buried there.
Chief architect of civil buildings and national palaces, First Grand Prix de Rome, he was also a painter and it is his watercolors which constitute part of the temporary exhibition at the Royan museum, “Journey: Gillet, three generations of artists », until June 2.
“He painted a lot on vacation,” explains his daughter Florence Gillet.
Those were the only times we could enjoy him, when he wasn't caught up in his work.
» Florence was also marked by Rome, since she was a resident of the French Academy there before becoming a painter and engraver.
“Works that respond to each other”
Travel, Florence and her son Gaspar, who chose photography to express himself, did a lot.
“We experienced space while traveling together,” recalls Gaspar Dietrich, who recognizes that his mother’s taste for black and white was passed on to him.
This was a source of productions and images.
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It was enough to make it the theme of this exhibition in order to highlight the unique works of this family of artists who consider Royan their adopted city and where they have continued to return for sixty years.
The idea for this intergenerational exhibition comes from Isabelle Debette, the director of the museum.
A project validated by Nadine David, culture assistant to the mayor of Royan.
“This story of transmission is very interesting,” recognizes the elected official.
On several occasions, we can see the works responding to each other.
Without consulting each other, mother and son discuss the same themes.
It's fascinating.
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