In Draguignan, an exhibition on the chapel decorated by the friends of Marguerite Maeght

A patron saint, artist friends and a world of art for eternity… It is 4 kilometers from the medieval village of Arcs-sur-Argens (Var), in a 13th century chapel^e century today included in a wine estate, that the values ​​and passions of the Maeght couple can perhaps be read at their most intimate. These supporters of some of the greatest visual artists of the post-war period can rest in peace in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. They have given themselves the means to do so here.

Inconsolable after the death of their second son, Bernard, taken by leukemia at the age of 11 in 1953, Marguerite, as a good Provençal Christian, had sought comfort in particular from Saint Roseline, a Carthusian sister from the Middle Ages who was canonized in the 19th century.^eIn 1962, after believing she was going to die during a trip to the United States, she again recommended herself to this nun, to whom many regenerative miracles are attributed – notably that of making rain fall, if we are to believe the annual local pilgrimage still in force.

Six years later her wish was granted: Jules, her first and only grandson, was born. Then, in the manner of what was customary under the Ancien Régime among the nobles, Marguerite undertook to finance the entire restoration of the dedicated chapel. And, for its interior decoration, she called on friends. Who agreed to collaborate freely, only too happy to be able to return the favor with their creations to their devoted merchants.

Popular piety

Diego Giacometti designed two bas-reliefs, unique pieces in his production. In a curiously neo-Egyptian style, the first depicts the miracle of the roses (the flower metaphorizing the gift needed by the poor). Also, for a reliquary niche, he modeled a pair of doors with floral handles. Otherwise, we admire on site, in front of the altar, similarly cast in bronze, an imposing lectern with plant motifs. It refers to the crown of thorns of the Christs painted all around.

The stained glass windows are abstract. Bazaine’s filter the day with a blue that matches the lapis lazuli backgrounds of the painted scenes. Ubac’s, in the choir, tint the air with the red of the Passion. A few years after their installation, Chagall came to complete the ensemble by covering the right wall with the largest of his interior mosaics. In the same pastel blue-pink atmosphere, we discover a group of picnicking angels, reminiscent of the joyful meals taken outdoors in Saint-Paul-de-Vence.

No flashy avant-gardism on either side of these bays. The new aesthetics of the turn of the 1970s harmonize here ideally with the traditional expressions of the . In contact with the recent additions, the sacred character of the central altarpiece, dating from the beginning of the 17th century^eand also that of Roseline’s remains permanently displayed in her glass casket seem even reinforced.

The Maeghts had titled their art magazine Behind the mirror. And, in fact, in this chapel, between local faithful and international tourists, one really does believe oneself to be there. Twelve kilometers further north, in Draguignan, the Museum of Fine Arts is offering for its first major exhibition since its reopening last November, sketches, documents and testimonies relating to this well-understood artistic modernization of an ancient place of worship. A portrait of Saint Roseline by Nicolas Mignard (1606-1668) from Washington is displayed alongside that of Marguerite Maeght by Alberto Giacometti (on loan from the Foundation).