Press File 2019 Edition
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Press file 2019 Edition Arles, Celebrated by artists and photographers, Arles reverberates all year round with rich cultural events. Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, the couturier Christian Lacroix, the photographer Lucien Clergue… they all underlined the light and picturesque beauty of the city. Their creative energy can be found in world-famous international events such as the Rencontres de la Photographie, the “Suds à Arles” music festival, or the opening of the Luma Foundation, an experimental contemporary art center, crowned by Franck Gehry’s tower. Narrow streets, shady squares, hidden passageways, vibrating terraces, the banks of the Rhone River, the superb Provençal market, Arles is a city that takes the time to live. In each successive season the festival-goers, the aficionados, animate the city : Easter feria, traditional costume festivals, Christmas Fun… Festivals have become a tradition. Or the opposite! Everything is an excuse to make merry, to celebrate the history and the beautiful Arlesian dress costumes. The language, the dress, bullfighting, Camargue bull games… Over ten major festivals take place each year and attract the crowds. Rome, then Arles, listed on the UNESCO world heritage list. The Roman heritage monuments of Arles are unique and well preserved. This heritage is visible on every street corner : Amphitheater (Arena), Roman Theater, Baths of Constantine, the Cryptoportico, the Alyscamps, the mosaics and Roman barge displayed in the Arles Archaeological Museum… “Arelate” is reborn before our visitors’ eyes. Other remarkable survivors, the buildings dating from the Romanesque period, such as St. Trophime’s church and cloisters, are superb. Last but not least, Arles is a stopover on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Campostela. It is because of all this that Arles has been part of the UNESCO world heritage list for almost 40 years. Arles is also the Camargue, an other-worldly In Arles and nowhere else in Provence, wild natural spaces, a biosphere unique in 5 points ! the world (UNESCO also!) a truly life-size post card : bulls, pink flamingos, swamps and marshland as far Roman remains on every as your eye can see. An “elsewhere” in Provence, best discovered in “slow” mode, on a bike, on street corner horseback, or on foot, to be as close as possible to A wild « overflowing » nature and its wildlife. nature Photography as a cult Traditions everywhere A free and tasty life style CONTENTS Provence p. 16 5. Traditions p. 21 What’s new in 2019 ? p. 3 1. Artistic bubbling(s) p. 6 2. The spirit of the spot p. 10 3. Indispensable heritage p. 13 Strolls and guided tours p.23 4. The Camargue, an elsewhere in Important events p.25 2 2019 Calendar p.27 Contact p.31 Arles in Numbers p.31 What’s new in 2019 ? In 2019 the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival will be celebrating its 50th anniversary ! See you between July 1 and September 22. Opening week will take place from July 1 to 7. The new Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Photographie will be opening on Boulevard Victor Hugo, across from the new Luma building. Marc Barani is the architect. https://www.ensp-arles.fr/ The Museon Arlaten. After ten years of renovation, our ethnographical museum, a reference for Provençal culture, will be reopening in December 2019. Save the date! LUMA Arles, a cultural landmark Even though the site will only by fully operational in 2020, LUMA is already on everyone’s lips. LUMA Arles is an experimental contemporary art center, both a residence for artists and an exhibition space. Installed at the Parc des Ateliers – a 6.5-hectare site previously occupied by the railroad repair shops built in the middle of the 19th century – LUMA Arles is composed of three spaces, a “Tower” designed by Franck Gehry, imposing rehabilitated industrial buildings, and a public park inspired by surrounding natural landscapes such as the Camargue, the Crau plain, and the Alpilles hills. www.Luma-arles.org The « Suds », in winter 3 From March 2 to 10, 2019 The “Suds à Arles” music festival is coming back in the winter! An offshoot of the summer version, the festival takes over the streets of Arles for a week of eclectic and varied musical programs. www.suds-arles.com/fr/2019/les-suds-en-hiver-1650 Top 50 in the New York Times In 2018 the famous New York daily placed Arles among its list of the top 52 destinations to discover. What an honor! Arles has been recognized as one of the 5 best cruise destinations for river cruises in Europe by Cruise Critics 2018 ! Gucci chose Arles in May 2018 for its cruise fashion show ! Along beside Paris, New York, London or Tokyo among others, Arles is now part of the Louis Vuitton City Guide collection. Arles for bookworms, « Arles se livre », 2nd edition From February 27 to March 3, 2019 Literature is everywhere in Arles, major players include the Actes Sud publishing house and the Méjean cultural pole. But literature and a taste for words also include the translators’ conference, 16 other publishing houses including Editions Piquier, specialized bookshops, the Book Conservation Center, printing presses… and all the Arlesian cultural actors, theaters, stages, museums… For this second edition, the city will resound with “words” for 4 days, and books will invade public spaces but also more intimate places like cafés, restaurants, shops… arles-se-livre.fr NEW ADDRESSES The Arlatan Hotel, reveals a unique spot, a subtle balance between the majestic Renaissance building and the high- flying architectural and artistic collaboration of the artist Jorge Pardo! www.arlatan.com The « Maison Close » : A photography studio and art gallery located near the amphitheater, in the heart of the city, including a 130-m2 studio, two terraces and a kitchen. Contemporary architecture beautifully lighted by simple daylight (even in winter). www.lamaisonclosearles.com 4 The « Buste et l’Oreille » (the bust and the ear) : here the Trinquetaille wine cellar has expanded and, since the summer of 2017, has opened a cozy wine bar offering Camargue, Spanish and Italian products. Thematic “happy hours” and “after market” tastings, the products and the producers are lord and master here. www.facebook.com/Le-Buste-et-lOreille- 195866220946466/ New restaurants : Les Piques ou Rien. Le Gaudina. Simone & Paulette. L’Esperluète. Wa-Fou Rāmen & Donburi. See page 12. The « bois flottés de Camargue » (Camargue driftwood) : the new Salin-de-Giraud campgrounds, located in this former salt-harvesting city, right beside the long sandy Piémanson beaches. Kitesurf and wild-beach lovers should remember this address : camping-les-bois-flottes.fr/ Breaking News ! A new contemporary art foundation created by the Korean artist Lee Ufan in the old city center. Located in an old town house renovated by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the site will be an exhibition center but also a space for living and meeting together. Opening in 2020 ! Information about all the 2019 exhibitions and shows can be found at the end of this file. 5 Artistic "bubbling(-s)" Special landscapes and light that have always inspired artists, actors, painters, photographers, creators… Incognito or here for a music festival, you may run into stars around the corner of the old city streets. VINCENT VAN GOGH Certainly the artist who best captured the light of the city ! Vincent arrived in Arles on a cold February day in 1888, looking for light. He then began a period of intense and passionate work in the Southern French sunlight. His stay in Arles was the most productive of his career. He created 300 works in 15 months. Among the best known : The Night Café and the Hospital Garden. Even though none of his work is on permanent exhibit in Arles, the settings that he painted are everywhere. The Van Gogh Foundation regularly exhibits works by the artist in collaboration with major international museums. Arles Vincent Van Gogh Foundation The entrance gate, by Bertrand Lavier, sets the stage and reveals the subtle alliance between this 15th-century townhouse and contemporary art. As you go through the door raise your eyes to admire the play of light in the glass work of Raphael Hefti. And don’t forget the unbelievable terrace from which you have a view of the city, the Rhone River and Montmajour Abbey, a lasting tribute to the master. 2 exhibitions : from Nov. 11, 2018 to Feb. 10, 2019 : "Autumn Paradise. Jean-Luc Mylayne and James Ensor & Alexander Kluge : Black centuries", then "Niko Pirosmani : Promeneur entre les mondes" (Strolling between worlds) and Vincent van Gogh with a choice of original paintings from March 2 to Oct. 13, 2019. www.fondation- vincentvangogh-arles.org The Van Gogh walking tour, step by step A pedestrian tour leads the curious visitor to the sites where the master set up his easel. A dozen “spots” are thus to be discovered on a pleasant stroll through the city. Among them : The Yellow House, on the Place Lamartine, Starry Night over the Rhone, on the Rhone River quay… The art lover is thus plunged into the heart of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings. Guided visits organized all year round. www.arlestourisme.com/fr/le-circuit- van-gogh.html PHOTOGRAPHY 6 Arles, photography and Lucien Clergue, a native. This photographer, friend of Picasso and Cocteau, is one of the creators of the Photography Festival. In 1965 he also worked to create the photography collection of the Réattu Museum, which became the first Fine Arts Museum to include photographs, with prints by famous artists like Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, Man Ray, Dora Maar… Since 1982 Arles has been home to the National Photography School (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie - ENSPA).