During the 31st edition of "Les Arts en Balade" from May 29 to 31, the Gallery, partner of the event, welcomed a duo of glass artists from the Atelier Horizon Verre, Mélanie Gracia and Justin Hemery.

Thank you for coming in large numbers to the gallery to discover the glass works of Horizon Verre, as well as the paintings of Simon Blau and Pascale Parrein.

 

Synopsis "Face to  face"

 

With "Face à face", Lydie Bonnaire invites us on a silent journey through gazes. Her (predominantly) female portraits, nourished by historical imagery and a sensitive memory, seem to emerge from beyond time. Some inspired by early twentieth-century photographs, her figures appear both close and distant, as if suspended in an in-between state, offering the viewer a fragile yet intensely vivid presence.

 

Self-taught, Lydie Bonnaire has developed an intuitive practice in which painting becomes a space of inner listening. Her artistic path, marked by a late discovery of oil painting and opera, evolved alongside her work as a costume designer for cinema. This dialogue between still and moving images deeply informs her visual language, shaping her relationship to light, colour and framing.

 

Through her portraits, the artist establishes a silent face-to-face encounter — a suspended moment in which emotion takes precedence over narrative. Each canvas becomes a place of meeting, an intimate space where memory, presence and gaze intersect.

 

Catherine Pennec

 

Gallery(ies) Weekend!

 

Clermont-Ferrand’s galleries, art dealers and antique specialists threw open their doors to celebrate the spring season.

 

On Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 March 2026, Clermont-Ferrand moved to the rhythm of art with the first edition of “Gallery Weekend(s)”, a collective event conceived by the city-centre’s galleries, art dealers and antique specialists.

 

Born of a shared momentum, this springtime event aims to invite the public to step across the thresholds of venues that are sometimes little known, and to discover the richness, diversity and accessibility of the local artistic offering.

 

A weekend to demystify art… and spark encounters

 

Over two days, participating venues offered exceptional opening hours, including on Sunday — a rare initiative reflecting a strong desire to engage with new audiences.

 

Each venue remained free to shape its own programme: informal welcomes, private views, artist signings, performances or special highlights… all opportunities to foster direct dialogue between visitors, artworks and dedicated professionals.

 

Above all, the event is conceived as collective, welcoming and accessible, with a shared objective:

👉 to encourage people to step inside,

👉 to remind visitors that galleries are vibrant and free-to-enter spaces,

👉 to highlight the plurality of artistic perspectives in Clermont-Ferrand.

 

Practical information

 

A flyer including a map of participating venues was distributed in advance and made available at the Clermont-Ferrand Tourist Office. A series of short videos filmed in each venue also supported communication on social media, particularly via the Instagram account @weekend_en_galerie.s.

 

An initiative led by local professionals

 

This first edition notably brought together:

 

Artelier / Reine Mathilde, Galerie Quatrième, Galerie Catherine Pennec, Galerie AA, Galerie B.O., Atelier Le Cadre Noir, Galerie Herrero, Galerie Claire Gastaud, Les Intemporels, Galerie Christiane Vallé, Objets d’art, AntiquiDesign, Antiquité Brocante Héliez…

 

All share a common ambition: to reveal the diversity of Clermont-Ferrand’s artistic scene and to develop direct connections with a wide range of audiences, in a spirit of openness and conviviality.

 

Following the success of this first edition, an autumn or winter edition is already under consideration.

 

Press contacts (Gallery Weekend(s) collective)

Catherine Pennec, Director, Galerie Catherine Pennec

Tel: +33 (0)6 07 44 72 82

Email: [email protected]

 

 

The Garden of Olives January 29 – March 14, 2026

 

Through this exhibition, Joël Brisse presents a deliberately refined body of work, characterized in certain pieces by the use of reserve and white, a luminous palette, and a rigorously structured composition.

 

After decades of powerful, richly colored production, the artist now adopts a quieter, more focused visual language. This apparent simplicity aligns with the artistic legacy of Pablo Picasso—who famously stated that it took him a lifetime to learn how to paint like a child—as well as that of Henri Matisse, in his pursuit of an art defined by balance, calm, and light.

 

Here, the landscapes of the Gard become spaces of contemplation. The sleeping figures recall the apostles in the Garden of Olives, in direct reference to Andrea Mantegna, a major figure of the Italian Renaissance. The theme thus extends beyond landscape to engage a spiritual dimension, evoking waiting, interiority, and suspended time.

 

Far from unfinished, these works are meticulously composed. Reserve and white play a fundamental role, allowing light to circulate and enhancing chromatic resonance.

 

The small-format works—true distillations of the artist’s pictorial approach—reveal the essence of his gesture.

 

This exhibition does not represent a retreat, but rather an evolution: a movement from density toward concentration, reflecting a desire to arrive at what is essential.

 

Catherine Pennec