Known for her mastery of color and her work in situ, Flora Moscovici was chosen by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region under the 1% artistic grant – in this case 50,000 euros – to give meaning to a staircase on the new site of the Frac-artothèque which will soon open its doors on rue Charles-Michels in Limoges.
Like in New York
The artist has already honored regional commissions, such as at the Méca in Bordeaux or in Anglet, last year, with his work “Les Chemins du couchant” on the occasion of the 9th contemporary art biennial. But here, it is not an external creation. With “Fouler le sol”, the artist writes a lasting story, like the evolving painting produced in 2021 at the Villa Albertine in New York, a commission from the Ministry of Culture… and for a staircase.
An obvious choice therefore, which was imposed on the members of the artistic committee, namely, among others, the regional direction of cultural affairs, the architect, Alexandra McIntosh director of the contemporary art center of Vassivière, and of course Catherine Texier , director of the Frac-artothèque. “We wanted to work on the marginal and intermediate spaces of the building, such as elevators, corridors and staircases,” recalls Charline Claveau, vice-president in charge of culture at the Region. We received around 120 applications, a dozen were selected for the second round and, in the end, we had three candidates. »
More than 150 bottles
Flora Moscovici was selected. “She is an artist in her forties, still from the younger generation, and first and foremost a painter. She is used to large construction sites and works in brownfield areas,” explains Catherine Texier. The winner intervened for three weeks last September.
-“It was a physical project and, on top of that, she was seven months pregnant,” reveals the director of the establishment. She was accompanied by two permanent assistants and two fourth-year students at Ensa for the preparation of the pigments. » Namely more than 150 bottles to work with to the millimeter since it is a gradient. The Frac-artothèque has of course kept an exhaustive list of paints and mixtures to cover possible touch-ups.
Further than the artistic 1%
The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region having the contracting authority, it decided to be “more proactive” for the Frac-artothèque Nouvelle-Aquitaine, by granting an envelope of 50,000 euros for the creation of Flora Moscovici. As a reminder, the 1% culture or more commonly called 1% artistic, is a specific procedure for ordering works from artists which is imposed on the State, its public establishments and local authorities. Since 1951, more than 12,000 projects have been created throughout the country, involving more than 4,000 artists.
“It’s a source of income for all artists and it’s truly the French cultural exception,” rejoices Catherine Texier, director of the Frac-artothèque. “In New Aquitaine, the Region has respected the law in all its high schools, numbering 392, but also in all its buildings,” insists Charline Claveau, vice-president of the regional council in charge of culture. Today, our concern concerns the 1% in high schools where the works are aging and require renovation,” she explains, announcing a future restoration plan. Another issue is that of memory. “In high schools, we forget the 1%. It’s about giving new life to the works,” she still hopes.
