Jean Leyris and Setsuko Klossowska de Rola met in 1962 at the Villa Medici in Rome, under the direction of Balthus. From this meeting, much later, a rare exhibition was born: the first confrontation of two worlds profoundly linked by nature, light and silence.
Settled in Provence, Jean Leyris gave up a career as a producer to devote himself entirely to drawing, painting and sculpture. His inks and charcoals take us into the garrigue of the Luberon: velvety blacks, vibrant grays, subtle chiaroscuro… We feel the freshness of the undergrowth, the density of the branches, the calm breathing of the forest.
Born in Tokyo in 1942, Setsuko grew up on the island of Kyushu, close to mountains, water and forests. Encouraged by Balthus, she established a singular body of work in Rome, in which watercolours became essential. In her gouaches and watercolors, still life comes alive: flowers, trees and everyday objects seem suspended in an inner light, between shadow and radiance.
Throughout the exhibition, the dialogue is clear: on the one hand, the shady paths and deep substance of Jean Leyris; on the other, the meditative clarity and delicacy of Setsuko. Two gazes, two gestures, the same attention to life.
For this exhibition in Arles, Setsuko has created several new works. A unique opportunity to discover, reunited for the first time, two sensitive and complementary approaches – and to experience an artistic stroll that invites us to slow down, look and breathe.
Come and be surprised by this luminous encounter.
