Eau. Ciel. Terre. at Galerie Lluma
with Ellen Turner Hall
Galerie Lluma presents the works of Frédéric Brandon whose close observations of water, sky and earth have produced a voluptuous appreciation of nature’s infinite variety. ,,
Three tapestries based on his designs capture the eye with the intensity of their colours. The undergrowth pulses with interlocking amoeba-like forms dancing in and out of each other’s embrace.
With a lightness of touch, Brandon paints leaves and petals which resemble butterfly wings – all of nature buzzing with life. Orange leaves fall from a blue tree. A black and white waterway shimmers as Brandon draws us into the play of light on its surface.
Groups of riotous red peppers tumble over each other, their green stems an exclamation point to the action. Equally out of control is an octopus, tentacles threatening to burst out of the frame, body all ridges and bumps, enough to put you off ever going into the sea again.
Like another painter of nature, Claude Monet who died exactly 100 years ago, Brandon tries to pierce the mystery of what is in plain sight.
Eau. Ciel.Terre. runs from 11 June to 11 July. Galerie Lluma is open every day from 14h30 to 18h30. For details : galerielluma.com
Spring 2026 – Galerie Lluma opens in Collioure
with Ellen Turner Hall
Spring is here! Time of birth and renewal. In Collioure a new art gallery has opened with a dazzling show of the works of b. Philippe. Galerie Lluma (from light in Catalan) is the joint project of Jean-Louis Perrier and Fabienne Pauly.
The exhibition of b. Philippe’s paintings is called Traversée – crossing boundaries, erasing them and creating something completely new and unexpected. The artist told me he likes “to play with accidents and catastrophes”. The art of the unexpected. A purple stain in the middle of a rag is integrated into the landscape. A series of modelling clay on cardboard is a surprising and delightful return to childhood, using humble materials in new ways.
Roots, shoots, stems, flowers, trees, dangling vines, dense forests, airy landscapes – b. Philippe takes as his subject organic, primeval growth He uses whatever is at hand in his workshop to experiment with the effect of light and colour on diverse surfaces, painting in acrylic on paper, papier-mâché, aluminium or various recycled fabrics, rags or dried lumps of paint.
All of Philippe’s paintings give the illusion of remarkable depth. Is it because of the layers and textures? One in particular is reminiscent of Matisse’s “Porte Fenêtre 1914” with its central black void between outer panels of blue and green. Another work is a mixture of pinks, purples, and oranges splashed onto a rag with cut pieces of fabric creating a formal entrance into a private park. A third is a thick crust of dense black foliage opening onto a narrow rain of bright yellow verticals in the background.
Finally a triptych of green stems and pink flowers painted on paper, then cut up and re-assembled – a wild world given a new dynamic. This is Philippe’s magic gift.
Traversée runs from 3 April to 7 June 2026
Lluma is open 11:30 to 20:00 every day.
For further information: www.galerielluma.com