From November 16 to February 23, Vertou hosts the largest exhibition by the master of animal sculpture Michel Bassompierre. Seventeen monumental works, at least 2 meters high, can be discovered on Place Saint-Martin, Chaussée des Moines, the Cour et Jardin cultural space, the Libre-Cour library, Place du Beau-Verger or even on the banks of the Sèvre. The emperor penguin, measuring 3 meters tall, is presented for the second time, after Monaco. Also visible from the Chêne Bridge is a brown bear reaching 6 meters. In the Moulin Gautron, the public will be able to discover a reconstruction of the artist's studio and more than 35 works in bronze, marble, alabaster, or even a Baccarat crystal tiger.
A well-kept secret
While the world is busy installing its monumental brown bears, gorillas, polar bears and emperor penguins in the emblematic places of Vertou, the artist remains hidden in the tranquility of his small studio. The secret is well kept, but Michel Bassompierre, the best-selling animal sculptor in the world, has been working since the 1980s in a green setting in the Nantes region. My father is a bear who hides to create, his daughter Karène whispers with a tender smile, knocking on a door. That day, the sweet 76-year-old dreamer revealed behind the scenes of his ark. “I don’t often have guests in my den,” laughs the craftsman in his leather apron, his gaze tender behind his gray beard. I only have wild boars who come to disturb me and plow the land. »
