Cardiologist, Brigitte Macron's eldest daughter has launched into contemporary art with her partner. Works based on human cells that are attracting galleries.
We met her in 2017 as a cardiologist and discreet supporter of candidate Macron, present in the home stretch of the presidential campaign and with family on the red carpet of the Élysée during the investiture ceremony. At that time, Laurence Auzière-Jourdan, daughter of Brigitte Macron, fled the media, anxious to protect her three children, and let her sister, Tiphaine, a lawyer, comfortable in practice, take the spotlight.
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A five-year term and a divorce later, she is still fully a cardiologist, with her practice set up at her home in Nogent-sur-Marne and at the hospital, but her artistic soul has come to light. With his partner, Matthieu Gasser, a logistics civil servant, they create paintings from human cells under the pseudonym Laurence Graffensttaden. Not easy to spell, but a precious tribute to the Alsatian town where he grew up. If Laurence's vocation has always been medicine, art is a means of channeling the energy of this claimed hyperactive person. As a child, during a family visit to the Louvre, she remained glued to “The Raft of the Medusa”. “Mom explained its composition to us, I was fascinated. My brother, Sébastien, was a little drunk, he said to her: “You are not my teacher, you are my mother.” »
A love found
The young girl also immersed herself in the art books that her father, André-Louis, an investment banker, received as a gift. “Monet, Picasso, Manet… I loved opening and copying them. » She is in fact more comfortable in reproduction than in pure creation. “I need support, a base. » “Same in his life,” cuts in his companion. Matthieu Gasser, born in 1977, like her – and like Emmanuel Macron – will bring this base. Son of an artist and a doctor, an anatomopathologist who observes cells in the laboratory, he has had a concept in mind since he was little: the cellular portrait. It involves making works of art from saliva samples, sent to the lab and colored.
Mom sees Matthieu and says to me: “Look at the handsome blond over there.” He was with his friends, we smiled at each other.
Laurence Auziere
Their paths crossed at the age of 16. Laurence is with family skiing in Val Cenis. “Our bus stops to pick up people, mom sees Matthieu and says to me: “Look at the handsome blond over there.” He was with his friends, we smiled at each other. » The two teenagers go out together and see each other again. She lives in Amiens, he in Strasbourg, the distance will put an end to this first love. And they almost never met again. “He had forgotten my last name. Knowing that he remembers those from his CP class,” jokes Laurence. During the 2017 presidential campaign, although he was indifferent to politics, Matthieu tilted when he saw Brigitte Macron on the cover of Paris Match. On the day of the inauguration, seeing Laurence on TV, he no longer has any doubts and recognizes his childhood sweetheart. Contact is reestablished.
During Covid, father of one child and divorced since 2017, Matthieu comes to Paris. He talks about his concept to Laurence. In her turn, in full separation, she hangs on with the project and its author. Their love story will resume, with art to boot. From 2022, she gets started with him. They now do everything together. Photographs, paintings, collaboration with artists… their art is in perpetual motion. In May, they exhibited at the Arab World Institute. Currently, at the Parisian gallery A2Z, their six-handed paintings, created with the artist Danhôo, sold for 8,500 euros. They are meeting in China for an exhibition as part of the 60th anniversary of Franco-Chinese friendship. From the infinitely small, the infinitely large opened up to them.
“Cellular portraits”, by Laurence Graffensttaden, ed. Florentin, 308 pages, 100 euros.
© DR
