Fifty years ago St Tropez was confirmed as a rich man — and woman’s — playground when a bikini-clad Brigitte Bardot frolicked on the beach in And God Created Woman.
Now the racy southern Mediterranean resort, once a simple fishing village until it was discovered by writers and artists such as Guy de Maupassant and the 19th century neo-impressionists led by Paul Signac, is hoping to persuade tourists to mix a little culture with their cocktails.
The theme once again is women — this time in the ambitious ART’FAB international exhibition, which runs until August 31 as part of the town’s new “Cultural Summer” programme.
St Tropez officials have assembled the work of 70 artists from 26 different countries in a bid to revive the town’s cultural image as well as its hedonistic one.
“St Tropez is known as a place of crazy parties, of celebrities; we want it to be known as a place of contemporary culture and creation,” said mayor Jean-Michel Couve.
It also reflects the changing face of tourism, as the town seeks an added cultural plus to its beach-resort attractions and to extend the tourist season.
“It was the mayor’s desire to bring art back to St Tropez, but he didn’t know how to go about it. It’s a big project; it involves money and a lot of technical work. They were a bit hesitant,” admitted curator Susanne Van Hagen, who has masterminded the project.
Will ART’FAB succeed in getting the public off the beaches and into the galleries?
Many of the seriously rich who still summer here are also art collectors, and a look at the artists involves shows that this is not just some token decorative exhibition.
The works were chosen by a 10-strong jury, including Hans-Ulrich Obrist, co-director of the Serpentine Gallery in London, Nicolas Bourriaud, former co-director of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and Greek collector Dakis Joannou.
Along with internationally renowned names such as Chantal Akerman, Marlene Dumas, Annette Messager and Vanessa Beecroft, little-known young artists also get a chance to share the spotlight.
There is work from emerging women photographers in Portugal and Spain, as well as from former Eastern Bloc countries and the islands of Malta and Cyprus, among the newest members of the European Union.
“We wanted to show to the outside world what there is in Europe. There are some artists here who are already mature and very well known, some aren’t,” said Van Hagen.
“This locomotive will help younger artists to be shown,” she added, saying despite progress women artists remain under-represented and under-valued.
The â,¬800Â 000 bill for the exhibition has been funded almost totally by corporate and individual sponsors with the municipality making up the shortfall.
Van Hagen has also delved into her bulging address book to borrow several works not normally accessible to the public, either from private collections or directly from artists and their galleries.
With works on display at four venues, the exhibition is one way of persuading visitors to explore the town beyond quaffing the clichéd aperitif at the old port.
As well as the main venue on Place des Lices, seven artists who transform traditionally female textile skills are beautifully displayed in the Lavoir Vasserot — an old washhouse where women once did the laundry.
A series of large sculptures has also been erected around the Citadelle’s ramparts, which look very impressive when floodlit for Wednesday and Friday late-night openings.
And art lovers can also find more to whet the appetites at the Musee de l’Annonciade, which includes the town’s superb collection of early 20th-century art and a summer exhibition devoted to the Blaue Reiter movement.
While the show is not overtly feminist, works such as the Barbie Doll series by young British artist Alice Anderson, and Danish artist Gitte Villesen’s subtle tribute to Margarete Schuette-Lihotszky’s pioneering 1927 Frankfurt Kitchen, are far from images of female glamour.
Latvian artist Katrina Neiburga also shows a video shot in a Riga nightclub revealing the mysteries of women’s handbags, while Finland’s Salla Tykka presents a disturbing photo of a woman boxer.
Perhaps the town will succeed in reconciling its somewhat schizophrenic double reputation.
But watching collectors, sponsors and other guests dancing the night away at the opening night dinner, it seems St Tropez won’t be giving up its image of being a party town any time yet. — AFP