The exhibition of the works of André Abram, known as “Abram”, 86 years old, at the Parc Rivière, is based on a stroll by the founder of the restaurant La Tupina, Jean-Pierre Xiradakis, through the streets of Bordeaux. And to meet these two local figures, the Bordeaux artist, seventy years of sculpture behind him, and the former restaurateur, great art lover, philanthropist and walker…
The exhibition of the work of André Abram, known as “Abram”, 86 years old, at Parc Rivière, is based on a stroll by the founder of the restaurant La Tupina, Jean-Pierre Xiradakis, through the streets of Bordeaux. And meet these two local figures, the Bordeaux artist, seventy years of sculpture behind him, and the former restaurateur, great art lover, philanthropist and inveterate walker.
They were brought together by chance: “Xiradakis was walking and came across my house in the public garden. On the façade, there were sconces that I had created. He rang the bell, my wife told him I was a sculptor, he wanted to see everything,” Abram says. Then, everything came down to the stubbornness of Jean-Pierre Xiradakis, who besieged the Bordeaux town hall so that the artist’s works could be exhibited.
Claude Petit/SO
Elisa Mistrot, André Abram and Anna Maisonneuve at the gardener’s house.
It is up to Elisa Mistrot and Anna Maisonneuve (a journalist specializing in visual arts, notably for “Sud Ouest”), curators of this exhibition, to collect and select the sculptures to make a monograph. “Abram has had his studio in Sainte-Eulalie for fifty years: a profusion of sculptures, graphic works and ceramics. He started with wood, with women, children, couples and cats as his favorite figures,” explains Anna Maisonneuve.
Line searches
His model: Ossip Zadkine, one of the greatest masters of Cubist sculpture (1888-1967). Certain composers also inspired him to create pieces, such as “La Vie Brief”, in yellow resin, with an almost pop feel, evoking the lyrical drama composed by Manuel de Falla at the beginning of the 20th century.e century. An exception for this artist mainly known for his work in bronze. The sculptor presents 15 monumental works, created between 1994 and 2024, which are revealed at the bend in the park’s paths.
On the gardener’s house side, drawings and paintings sit alongside small bronzes. “We found a fairly obvious link in the research of lines. The movement of the sculpture is found in the drawings and vice versa. Over 50 years, we see the whole, the path. He draws what he sculpts and sculpts what he draws,” summarizes Elisa Mistrot.
Echoing the exhibition at Parc Rivière, two of Abram’s works are on display in the city hall garden. An exhibition is planned for Sainte-Eulalie in July.
Until Sunday, September 22, Parc Rivière, rue Mandron in Bordeaux. From 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (8 p.m. in September). Maison du jardinier et de la nature en ville, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during the week, from 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Saturdays.
Special visits
Visit by curators Elisa Mistrot and Anna Maisonneuve on Saturday, July 6 at 11 a.m. and Saturday, September 21 at 5:30 p.m. ([email protected]). Special walk as part of the Un Été au Grand-Parc festival, Wednesday, July 17 at 6 p.m. Visit offered by Alternative urbaine, on August 28 at 5 p.m. (bordeaux.alternative-urbaine.com). Walk with Barbara Fecchio, on the occasion of the European Heritage Days, on September 22 at 10 a.m. ([email protected])
