2004.03.05 La Napoule Art Foundation

Beth, Kimberley and I went to the La Napoule Art Foundation on Friday and took the tour. If you're ever in the area, you should too.

Before lunch, we went into a little grocery store, and their produce was beautiful, as you can see.

Mmmm, oranges

While we were eating lunch, the fuzz showed up. They didn't catch us, because I was very well hidden behind a very tiny plant.

Remember, don't let your poodle dump hearts in the road. That's not nice.

"Get yer chickens! Get yer dead chickens ici!"

Mmmmm, bunny. Bunny tastes yummy.

This is a Mercedes. No, really, it is.

This is the chateau from before, only now it's from the inside...

That's Don Quixote. Henry Clews had a great affinity for him. You'll see more of him later.

That's a sycamore tree. I think they're kinda creepy.

Sorry it didn't show up, but above the window, it says "Myth Mystery Mirth" (look at the last picture, that's what those three M's are for).

And here they are again!

And over that window, it says "Political Altrusists", which is kind of an oxymoron.

"Once upon a time..." Clews was very into myth and fairy tales.

That's the tower, the only thing left standing from the time of the Saracens.

These are the faces around the base of the Don Quixote statue... I like 'em.

"stop lookin' at my butt"

That's Kimberly. I was trying to catch her taking a picture, but was a second too late.

These little statues are all over the place.

See?

This is over the entrance to the ladies bathroom. It's a chicken. There's a peacock over the men's, but the picture of that didn't come out, so you can't see it.

I love these!

This is a doctor. Clews hated doctors. He thought they were condescending.

This is the doctor's patient. He doesn't look too happy.

It's a bird... I think.

See, here's Don again. He's ubiquitous.

This is the God of Flies. Clews did this one, and the next to mock his critics who didn't like his artwork very much. They dismissed him because he came from money.

And here is the God of Spiders. I think they would make a good movie...

This door is covered in lovely representations of animals. Sorry the picture didn't come out right.

This is the Spencer Gallery, which was surprisingly cold for having all this art in it.

Clews was a painter as well. These are all his paintings. After his first reviews (from the Gods of Spiders and Flies), he refused to sell any of his work. It's all here.

Later in his life, he was ill and couldn't leave the house. He read lots of books about mythology and other cultures. He took to sculpting "primitives", inspired by his own philosophy, and using influences from cultures all over the world. I love this one.