MOUGINS AND CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE
Mougins, a Village of Art and Contemporary Sculpture
Just a few kilometres from Cannes, Mougins has long enjoyed a special relationship with art. In the narrow streets of the old village, galleries, studios and exhibition spaces are now part of the landscape. This artistic tradition does not belong solely to its past: it remains very much alive through the artists who regularly come to present their work.
Picasso contributed greatly to this reputation. He discovered Mougins in the 1930s and later chose to settle there. Other artists, including Francis Picabia, also played a part in the artistic history of the village.
This tradition continues with artists who have worked there for several decades. Painter Marie Tissot, whose career spans more than fifty years, has been based in the heart of the village since 1985. She continues to work there today in her studio-gallery on Rue des Lombards.
Contemporary Art in the Heart of Old Mougins
One of the distinctive features of the village is the close proximity between its heritage and contemporary creation. There is no need to seek out a district specifically devoted to art: exhibition spaces can be discovered simply by walking through the streets.
Several cultural venues complement the studios and galleries located throughout the historic centre. Contemporary sculpture can be found alongside painting, photography and other forms of artistic creation.
For visitors, this concentration of art offers considerable freedom to explore. A walk through the village can lead from a gallery to a studio and then to a temporary exhibition, without having planned a particular route in advance.
Alain Choisnet and Mougins
Alain Choisnet knows Mougins well, having previously run a gallery in the heart of the old village. He presented his bronzes there and met visitors from France and abroad.
He now returns for temporary exhibitions. Le Lavoir, located at the entrance to the village, is one of the venues where he has chosen to show his work. This former late 19th-century building provides an uncluttered setting in which visitors can move freely around the sculptures.
Contemporary Sculpture on the Côte d’Azur
Mougins’ long artistic history has not prevented it from remaining open to contemporary creation. The artists exhibiting there continue this relationship with art without seeking to reproduce what established the village’s reputation in the past.
Bronze sculpture naturally finds its place here, whether in a gallery or during a temporary event, and can sometimes be encountered simply while walking through the streets of the historic centre.
For Alain Choisnet, returning to the Côte d’Azur is also an opportunity to reconnect with those who already know his work and to introduce it to new audiences.
These exhibitions offer an opportunity to discover a selection of bronzes in person, although they necessarily represent only part of Alain Choisnet’s work.
All his sculptures can be viewed on his website, with photographs, dimensions and key information.