Virginie closes her gallery, an artistic and committed place in the heart of Saint-Girons

It was during a speech full of emotion, in front of a packed room, that Virginie announced her decision, while paying tribute to the members of the association, the volunteers, her son and all the artists, all the talents that she was able to unearth. This place, which she considers as an “intimate chapel”, offered a space for meeting and discovery, but also a voice for the most committed works. Former industrial director in the automobile and aeronautics sectors, she swapped a well-established career to embark on this artistic adventure in Saint-Girons, to open this gallery where she invested her heart, her time and her personal resources.

“Since the gallery’s inauguration, more than 15,000 visitors have been welcomed there,” she declared, “without any subsidy or public assistance. I have donated over 12,000 hours of volunteer time and a significant financial investment. Through 36 exhibitions and the support of 47 artists, I managed to transform my gallery into an artistic crossroads, where painters, photographers, sculptors and musicians rub shoulders. A gallery goes beyond a simple place of exhibition and sale, it is also a social and human commitment, a support for artists whose work is essential to our humanity. And yet, she recalled, 90% of them live below the poverty line. The exhibitions presented at Girons d'Art are often part of strong societal contexts, she continues, whether it is the erasure of women, environmental crises or even issues of freedom of expression. I promoted a vision of art as an act of resistance, essential to preserve a bit of humanity. »

Today, as the gallery closes its doors, Virginie plans to focus on her own art, a change she sees as a form of rebirth. She still plans to occasionally invite artists with whom she has developed deep ties.

The closure of the gallery is a hard blow for the local artistic community. Virginie points out an alarming economic situation for the traders of Saint-Girons, who are suffering from the decline in attendance. “Three weeks of summer tourism are not enough to sustain our local business,” she warns, emphasizing the need for more inventive promotion of the territory to attract an audience throughout the year.

By closing this chapter of her life, Virginie is preparing to begin a new journey. So a page is turning. The mark left by Virginie on the artistic scene of Saint-Girons will remain engraved for a long time, marking the history of a place that many had made their own. Her “chapel”, as she liked to say, was the region’s most beautiful artistic ambition.