THE MUSEE FABRE RE-OPENS
Big news for art fans in February was the reopening of Montpellier’s Musée Fabre. On Sunday February 4th, the doors of one of France’s leading public art collections swung open to the public after a major four-year wash and brush up. At a cost of 61,200,000 euros, this is one of the largest museum renovation projects ever undertaken in France: the vast extension of the museum’s exhibition surface area means that instead of the comparatively piddly 4,000 square metres that welcomed 80,000 visitors in 2002, the bigger, better, utterly ab fab Fabre offers 9,200 square metres – more than enough to showcase some 800 works of art and cater for the 300,000 art lovers estimated to rock up in 2007.
On show is art from extensive collections of 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st century work (Sète-based contemporary artist Pierre Soulages is particularly well represented with a huge space all to himself), housed in galleries designed with great respect for the traditional architecture of the building, using state-of-the-art display and lighting techniques.
And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s a documentation centre, a book store, an auditorium, and – from April - not one but two café-cum-restaurant refreshment options (one a proper “sit down and dine” affair, the other more “snack-like”) run by Montpellier’s own Michelin-starred Pourcel brothers. All this and buggy- and wheelchair access, too.
 When I had a guided tour earlier this month, I was meant to be shown round by museum head Michel Hilaire, but the sudden arrival of Monsieur Soulages meant I got dropped like the proverbial hot potato and the charming Monsieur Amic (curator of the1830’s to present day section) wheeled me round instead. My over-riding impression was of a curate’s egg: good in parts, not so great in others. The project is hugely ambitious, and (surprise, surprise), not quite finished. So, for example, in the loos, the toilet rolls are sat on the floor (no-one’s got round to fixing holders on the walls yet) and there’s nothing to dry your hands on, after washing them in the (rather smart) basins. And where exactly is the baby-changing table or the child-friendly toilet? Perhaps I didn’t look hard enough. No English language versions of the wall signs, gallery info points or intranet site yet, either, but I’m promised it’s all in the pipeline, as befits “one of Europe’s major museums”.
What I really liked was the content – I’m way more into contemporary art, as a rule, so for me to get a major buzz in the Ingres and the Ecole des Beaux Arts room is a Very Big Deal. I surprised myself. I also like the use of colour in certain parts (burnt sienna ceilings meet bark brown walls), and the way the museum is made up of a hotch-potch of buildings, so you’re always moving from vast, airy spaces into intimate, vaulted galleries or wood-beamed rooms at the top, by way of a very dark, black marble passage ways. It certainly keeps you on your toes.
The documentation centre looks interesting, though a little under-used (it’s really aimed at researchers and academics, although the hoi polloi are allowed in at specific times) and the book shop rocks a great selection of books, postcards and art-related paraphernalia (need an Impressionist-inspired insense holder? Musée Fabre’s got ‘em).
The museum is closed on Mondays, and its opening hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday 10 am – 6 pm, Wednesday 1pm – 9 pm, Saturday 11 am – 6 pm. Admission is 6 euros (7 euros gets you admission to both the temporary exhibition and the permanent collection), and 5 euros for Pass Agglo holders. Entry is free on the first Sunday of the month.
Sure, it needs some time to settle into its skin, and being able to grab a coffee and a bun at the end of a visit would be terrific, but all in all, the Musée Fabre is one of the most exciting things to happen in Montpellier for quite some time.
Musée Fabre
39 boulevard Bonne Nouvelle
34000 Montpellier
+33 (0)4 67 14 83 00
www.montpellier-agglo.com
SILVER SCREEN STARS COME TO NIMES
A must-see on the Anglophone circuit this year is the British Film Festival, taking place in Nîmes from February 23rd to March 4th. There are rumours that Harold Pinter (recently awarded the Legion d’Honneur) will be gracing the event with his presence, health permitting. From the seventeen (count ‘em) major films for which he took the screenwriting credit (not only was Pinter the greatest playwright of his generation and, in 2005, a Nobel prize-winning author, but he also wrote screenplays), a number of classics are programmed, and the Festival’s annual Round Table at the Carré d’Art contemporary art gallery will take Pinter as its theme, with bilingual readings of Pinter texts by professional actors.
In terms of current British cinema, the festival will showcase a range of new and very recent films, some not yet on release in France, all high profile, well reviewed and, for some, BAFTA-nominated, featuring a galaxy of new and established stars.
Events will be held at the Semaphore Cinema and the Carré d’Art. For full details of the programme, see www.ecransbritanniques.org or click on 'British Film Festival' on our Diary to the right.
British Screen/Ecrans Britanniques
280b impasse Cance
30900 Nîmes
+33 (0)4 04 66 64 79 75
www.ecransbritanniques.org
WET WEATHER DESTINATIONS - TERRA VINEA
 After an exceptionally mild December and January, the weather in the Languedoc has suddenly turned rather parky. Having sat on the sand at Carnon beach in early 2007, sipping coffee in the sunshine, I’m now piling on my layers and getting back to savouring some of the robust red wines that this region is famous for. Enjoying great vintages and pigging out is a big part of life in the Languedoc, so what better way to spend a cold, windy winter’s afternoon than sampling wine and learning a little history? Believe me, there’s no better way to escape the uncommonly cold wind than by burrowing down deep beneath the Corbière massif.
At 80 metres below ground, in Portel-des-Corbières, (a quick journey from Carcassonne or Perpignan), visitors to the former gypsum quarries of Terra Vinea can discover a great vintage – Rocbère - and gen up on the history of Mediterranean civilization (stop yawning at the back) through food and wine.
Recently expanded, the Terra Vinea tour (part of which takes place on board a small train – the kids will love it) includes cellars containing hundreds of oak barrels, a small underground lake, a sound and light show, the reconstruction of a former gypsum quarry and a Gallo-Roman villa. The one hour tour is followed by a tasting of the best wines to be found in the Rocbère de Peyriac sur Mer, Portel and Sigean cellars, and (here comes the good bit) also on site is a wine bar serving platters of local products.
Open all year round (except Christmas and New Year) with several tour departure times per day, admission charges are 7,50 euros for adults, 3,50 euros for children (10 to 14 years) and nippers under 10 go free.
Terra Vinea
Portel des Corbieres
+33 (0)4 68 48 28 05
www.terra-vinea.com (in French only) |
FAVOURITE FLAVOURS OF THE MONTH
Over the past few weeks I’ve been lucky enough to attend a host of foodie-related events, each of which has involved some rather nice nibbles and the discovery of yet more Languedoc secrets of the gastronomic kind. The great thing is that Languedoc residents can go see (and indeed, savour) for themselves (I’ll give you the addresses below), and even if you don’t live in the south of France, from this month you’ll be able to order some tasty titbits online, courtesy of Accent d’Oc.
First up is the domaine de l’Oulivie at Combaillaux, in the Hérault department. Situated a short drive north on the outskirts of Montpellier, this olive farm was the venue for 2006’s Le Sud Cultive Ses Saveurs event, which is essentially a trade-only affair that celebrates and promotes a different aspect of the Languedoc agroalimentaire industry. As you’ll have guessed, the theme was olives in all their different guises – chopped up into tapenade, squeezed into oil, baked in bread, pickled in brine – you name it, they did it to ‘em. Hell, they even make a range of olive oil-based beauty products, and I’ve become a fervent fan of their hand cream (a must now the weather’s turned nippy). I helped pick olives of the trees using little yellow plastic rakes (rather like children’s sand toys) and made the classic faux-pas of nibbling an olive straight off the branch (don’t do it - they’re terribly bitter). Members of the public can visit the domaine (find out everything you ever wanted to know about olives but were afraid to ask), but do call ahead to check opening hours, particularly in the winter months.
Domaine de l’Oulivie
34980 Combaillaux
+33 (0)4 67 67 07 80
Next up, an interesting project that goes by the name of Table Sud. The Domaine de l’Oulivie is in fact one of the founder members of Table Sud, which is effectively an online gathering of Languedoc food, wine and heritage sites, grouped together to form a one-stop shop for information about those things that make up the lifestyle in the south of France (or l’art de vivre languedocien, as the French would say). For the moment it’s only in French (wake up, Table Sud founders– there’s a world out there that doesn’t speak your language!) but if you can master the lingo, the site contains a wealth of information on places and products to check out, and you at Les Moments Gourmands, you can order certain items online (petits patés de Pezenas, anyone?). Go to www.tablesud.fr
Of all the products on the Table Sud site, the ones that have really got the Crème de Languedoc team salivating are from Accent d’Oc, a family-run business based in Capestang, in the Aude. Mother Marie Neirac rules in the kitchen, daughter Delphine take care of the marketing, and between them and their team, they’re cooking up a storm, creating culinary condiments with the full-on flavour of southern France. Their sweet and sour red pepper chutney (pebretino poivron rouge) is a knock out with goats’ cheese and cold cuts, and their site has a whole host of serving suggestions that will have your mouth watering. It’s all in French (an English language version is due to launch any day now), but downloading the catalogue and ordering online is straightforward, or if you’re in the area, give them a ring and stop by. If French is all Greek to you, just ask for the charming Delphine, who’ll be delighted to help…
Accent d’Oc
7 rue de Strasbourg
34310 Capestang
+33 (0)4 67 93 11 77
www.accentdoc.fr |
