It was the end of the seventies. Jean-Michel, a friend, a teenager like me, told me that he had met a lady, Madeleine Fié-Fieux, on the edge of the park of her manor in Squividan, in Clohars-Fouesnant, a few kilometers from the beaches of Bénodet. Madeleine Fié-Fieux was a painter. She showed him around her magnificent building. She also showed him the hundreds of paintings she had made, but also by Émile Simon, her mentor and friend who had lived in Squividan for a long time. A few days later, we got on our bikes. Off to this unknown world of artistic life. A discovery for kids whose relationship with the pictorial arts was often limited to the still lifes and landscapes that brightened up boxes of chocolates.
Madeleine Fié-Fieux welcomes us simply. Not like kids but like adults in the making. She tells us about her passion. About this Brittany that has never ceased to inspire her and Émile Simon. Jean-Michel and I will return several times to this haven of peace where, each time, a snack will be served to us. And then the years will pass. In 1995, Madeleine Fié-Fieux passes away, at the age of 98. Having no descendants, she bequeaths her manor of Squividan, as well as 1,200 paintings, to the Department of Finistère, on the condition that it be made a place open to the public free of charge. Her last wishes will be respected.
The manor has not changed. Its windows still overlook a magnificent wooded park, where visitors can picnic but also discover, around the immense rhododendrons, reproductions of the works of the two painters, friends and united by the palette of life.
Madeleine Fié-Fieux met Émile Simon at the Nantes School of Fine Arts, where he taught. Madeleine is married to Philippe Fieux, a dental technician. In 1943, the couple decided to leave Nantes to escape the bombings, and settled in Clohars-Fouesnant. Four years later, he was joined by Émile Simon, who thus moved closer to Lower Brittany, which inspired him so much.
Émile and Madeleine roam the countryside and the Breton coasts, painting everyday scenes: pardons, markets, the Camaret shipyards, people returning from fishing. They also produce many portraits of illustrious unknowns that are all reflections of post-war Brittany. Émile Simon – who died in 1976 – does not run after glory. Sheltered from financial worries, thanks to the support of Madeleine and her husband, the artist stays away from the art market. The years pass and, in Squividan, his paintings and those of Madeleine, after having covered the walls, pile up from the attic to the ground floor.
After Madeleine’s death, Squividan’s heart will continue to beat. This is obvious when you know that the place was open to everyone. “The manor was not closed. Its owners maintained good relations with the inhabitants, who could discover the paintings there but also the park. As proof, it served as the setting for many wedding photos,” explains Margot Le Page, in charge of reception at the manor.
Every summer, a thematic exhibition is organized, in conjunction with the Musée départemental breton, which has been entrusted with the management and conservation of the collection. Until the end of September, visitors are invited to travel through some forty paintings: from the pardon of Sainte-Anne-la-Palud to Spain, via the streets of Cairo, where Émile Simon lived for a year. Part of the manor, which has remained in its original state, is also visible through the ground floor windows. But not the upper floors. Too bad, because the atmosphere there invites you to learn more about this place full of colors and memories.
Practical
The manor is open until August 31, Tuesday to Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. In September, weekends from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Free admission.
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