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