MICHEL BASSOMPIERRE
From November 16, 2024, to February 23, 2025, the town of Vertou will host the works of the Grand Master of animal sculpture, Michel Bassompierre.
Organized in partnership with the WWF and sponsored by actor François Cluzet, Animal Elegance is the artist's largest exhibition to date.
In addition to the 17 monumental works to be discovered in the town, the Moulin Gautron will host more than 35 bronze and marble works, and offer a unique experience: a visit to the reconstruction of the sculptor's studio.
Contact
©Gaël ARNAUD
IN VERTOU (44)
Élégance Animale
EXHIBITION
EXHIBITED WORKS
AT THE MOULIN GAUTRON
The Moulin Gautron offers visitors a unique experience: entering a reconstruction of the artist's studio, who liked to work in secret.
In addition to this immersive experience, drawings and around thirty works in bronze, marble, alabaster and crystal can be discovered inside the Moulin Gautron.
©Gaël ARNAUD
IN THE TOWN
17 monumental works are to be discovered in the emblematic places of Vertou.
©Gaël ARNAUD
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AN EXHIBITION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE WWF
To remain faithful to Michel Bassompierre's convictions and to align with the City of Vertou's commitment to environmental preservation, this exhibition is being held in partnership with WWF. Visitors can also make a donation to the independent environmental protection organization, which has been working for half a century to build a future where humans live in harmony with nature.
ATTEND THE WWF RORQUAL FILM SCREENING ON FEBRUARY 15 AT 4:00 PM
As part of this partnership, WWF, Michel Bassompierre, and the town of Vertou are offering a screening of the film Rorqual at the Ciné Vaillant in Vertou on February 15, 2025, at 4 p.m.
Have you ever wondered what creatures might be home to the Mediterranean? Out there, far out in the deep waters of the deep blue, hides an animal of extraordinary dimensions. The largest living being on the planet, second only to the blue whale, found refuge in our waters long ago. It is a pillar of the ecosystem, a symbol of the richness of our world. Come… and meet… the Fin Whale.
Rorqual is a wildlife documentary by WWF France, written and directed by Hugo Hebbe, narrated by Gérard Darmon.
From €3
📍Ciné VAILLANT, Vertou (44)
📅 Saturday, February 15, 4:00 p.m. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.
Your participation fee will be donated to WWF France. Limited seating.
THREE WORKS TO DISCOVER IN NANTES & BASSE-GOULAINE (44)
As part of this event, three monumental works are also on display at Nantes Airport and in the Pôle Sud shopping area in Basse-Goulaine:
The Bees No. 1, The Game No. 3, and The Vole.
©Gaël ARNAUD
KEY DATES
• December 15, 2024, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Book signing for the monograph dedicated by Albin Michel Editions to the artist for his 50-year career. | Moulin Gautron. Registration
• January 30, 2025, at 8 p.m.: Conference "Sculpting the Living." | Quatrain, Haute-Goulaine. Registration
With: Michel Bassompierre, Grand Master of Animal Sculpture, Isabelle Autissier, navigator and honorary president of the WWF, and François Sarano, oceanographer.
Discussion moderated by journalist Fanny Agostini.
• February 15, at 4 p.m.: Screening of the WWF film "Rorqual." | Le Vaillant Cinema. Registration
Exhibition from November 16, 2024 to February 23, 2025.
📍In the town of Vertou & at the Moulin Gautron - 9 Rue de l'Industrie, Vertou (44)
Opening hours of the Moulin Gautron:
- School term: Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Christmas holidays: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Winter holidays: Wednesday to Sunday, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
MICHEL BASSOMPIERRE, GRAND MASTER OF CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE
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Born in Paris in 1948 into a family that combined artistic sensibility with scientific rigor, Michel Bassompierre developed a fascination for drawing and the animal world at an early age. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Rouen, he developed an instantly recognizable style that combines technical mastery with pure emotion.
His works, made of bronze or marble, celebrate animals in all their roundness—bears, gorillas, Asian elephants, pandas, and horses—which he renders with remarkable gentleness and precision. Thanks to his rigorous knowledge of anatomy, he manages to capture the spirit of his subjects without resorting to anecdote. In his work, his “animal brother” becomes a sovereign presence: peaceful, magnetic, majestic.
Represented by numerous galleries (New York, London, Valencia, Miami, Venice, Paris, etc.), Michel Bassompierre has countless collectors around the world. His monumental sculptures, grouped under the title “Fragile Colossi,” true emblems of endangered species, have been exhibited in prestigious venues in France, Monaco, Belgium, La Mamounia in Morocco, and New York.