Until the 25^th of March 2012, at Lyon’s Textile Museum.

Explore the dressing room of an icon: the Madonna in high fashion.

Silks, embroidered fabrics, pearls, cabochons, lace… A whole host of sumptuous materials that have been used to dress statues for centuries… What a strange idea, you might well think…

But when you get the chance to discover 650 years of prestige creation, presented in the manner of a fashion parade, you’re left speechless faced with such a dazzling collection.

Party or Lent dress, May dress, Battle dress, the ‘AZF’ dress…
This vast range of outfits for the Virgin Mary reflect the creators’ aspiration to blend modernity and tradition, symbolism and reality.

This exhibition, with its original title, its powerful visual effects and its striking design, is above all a reflection of the desire to clothe and present the Madonna: to give a spectacular, dramatic and completely human presence to this icon.

Admission to the museum and the exhibition is free with the Lyon City Card.

Historical Museum Of Textiles, LYON

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Sponsored and supported by several key businesses from the Roannais region, including Purefrancenow, the evening reception to launch this remarkable display of contemporary art was a resounding success. Not only were the many guests amazed at the presentation, but there was also some keen interest from a number of serious art buyers.

Frédéric Diart: Painter Extraordinaire

‘If The Black’ Exhibition

The Pure Art Gallery

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It is sure to be an intriguing experience! Purefrancenow will definitely be their to cover the proceedings.

Frédéric Diart – Painter Extraordinaire!

Our Man from Dubai and Frédéric Diart

The Pure Art Gallery

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Dale Thompson, good friend, and event management impresario in Dubai visited Frederick Diart’s remarkable studio during October.

Amazed by the scale, originality, creativity, and commitment which Diart demonstrates in his extraordinary art, Dale Thompson has now returned to Dubai on a mission in association with The Pure Art Gallery, to assess the potential for exhibition and art gallery opportunities in this vibrant metropolis in the Arabian desert.

The marvellous, and often bizarre, art creations of Frederick Diart. it is hoped will stimulate a positive reaction in Dubai’s international art world.

Frédéric Diart was born in 1966, and now has his home and studio near the Roannais in the Rhône-Alpes region.

He is a painter of extraordinary imagination, originality, and creativity.In his early years, between 1989 and 1991 he developed groups of paintings on paper, cardboard, sheets of lead or aluminium, and using industrial paints and watercolours. He also featured letters as motifs within the organized space of his canvasses.

Throughout the 1990’s he developed his style and approach, and experimented using small and medium formats and adopted vertical imaging rather than that of landscape.

He progressed after abandoning paints and industrial resins, using polyvinyl acetate, including increased application of solvents and paint strippers.

Systematic use of stencils and different alphabet sizes, and larger 2 metre- square productionsFrom the end of the 1990’s and into 2000 and the new millennium, he continues to create, using mixed pigments and abrasives. The effect is imagery of illegibility and liquidity.

He also experiments with fine unprepared fabrics and the reactions to different tensions. Incorporating organic glues (bone, sinew, skin), and for certain canvasses, cattle blood. Decay and mildew within the canvasses results in a natural organic retraction effect.

From 2003 to 2006 he also combines crumpled, undone, shapeless canvasses, which wind around a partial deposit of material. Still using solvents, colour is applied to the back of the canvas with the solvent penetrating the applied layers of the material on the canvas, bringing colour back to the surface.Frédérick Diart continues to be extremely prolific in the production of amazing artworks on a grand scale.

If you want to know more, or want to arrange a viewing of his works at first hand, let us know through our special Art section:

The Pure Art Gallery

Or e-mail Brian Franklin direct at:  info@purefrancenow.com

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The Pure Art Gallery

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This month we feature a selection of canvasses as a ‘taster’ before we include them in Mike’s personal dedicated presentation at The Pure Art Gallery

See more of Mike Ford’s Art and Photographic Images on his personal website:

Mike Ford Fab Pictures

The Pure Art Gallery

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Mike Ford, featured in the Pure Art Gallery, has 4 winning images in ‘Shot Up North 2009 – 2010′

‘Shot Up North’, and the “SUN Awards” celebrate and reward the best commercial photography in the UK regions, working in the disciplines of Advertising, Design, Fashion or Editorial.

Mike has also recently produced a new photo-image book called ‘Miceal’s Eyes’ – take a look, it’s good!

Mike Ford found his artistic passion and vision when a career change took him from Yorkshire to London in the 1970′s. For five years he travelled the world as assistant to the celebrated fashion photographer Robert Belton, and Mike regards this time as an awakening – his stimulus to produce striking commercial images.

He has also become a grandad and has celebrated the birth of his new grandson, Oscar, with some excellent, creative photographic imagery – congratulations, Mike!

Mike has exhibited at the Geras Tousignant Gallery and Spectrum in San Francisco, USA, and numerous galleries close to his home in France.

He has recently completed a major show in Dubai. Exhibitions are also planned for London and Australia in 2009.

www.purefrancenow.com

The Pure Art Gallery

The remarkable design and photographic talent of Stéphane Archambault strikes again! His recently published ‘L’esprit’ magazine is the third in an ongoing yearly series visually extolling the many virtues of the Côte Roannaise through his very perceptive eyes.

A triumph of creativity which captures the essence of this beautiful part of the Rhône-Alpes in France.

In this excellently produced new issue there are, again, many varied editorial pieces covering successful local  businesses, restaurants, amazing art and architecture, individual artists and artisans, stunning chateaux, medieval villages and their history, gardens and surrounding countryside idylls…. plus much more!

For only 5 euros, it’s a steal!

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Developed over the years from the 19th century when on one particular night people commemorated the Virgin Mary by lighting candles in their windows.

The modern four-day event sees millions throng the streets to see marvellously illuminated buildings and an array of multi-media effects. Simply, awesome!

Visit the superb picture show of Lyon’s Féte des Lumiéres featured on the BBC’s dedicated website now. It’s not like being there, but the photos are amazing.

Also visit Purefrancenow’s visual coverage of last year’s event The Bright Lights of Lyon

Lyon’s Festival of Lights

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A new series of graphic, digital canvassess from this Yorkshire born artist are now available for sale in different size and style formats.

John also translates his concepts into special, large-scale, original acrylic paintings which are also available for purchase via The Pure Art Gallery.

John Clough was born in Whiston, South Yorkshire in 1948.
His post-war childhood was idyllic and his love of nature and his appreciation of natural colours and textures are now reflected in his paintings.

John’s big ‘life changing moment’ occurred when his art teacher, gave him a book called “The Life and Letters of Vincent Van Gogh” He found it a creative inspiration which kick started his wonderful journey into the world of fine art. His first success was gained aged 14 when he was awarded first prize in the Royal Horticultural Society Arts show.

He developed his talent for painting at Rotherham College of Art, gaining a distinction at his closing show.

Then followed a successful career in Advertising, Marketing and Graphic Design for many years, gaining numerous directorships.

His paintings are often privately and corporately commissioned, and he has also exhibited his works throughout England, including France, and recently, in Dubai.

John has a particular penchant for both natural and urban landscapes, and the colours and surfaces revealed. He has a distinctive and impressionistic approach which he uses to create both linear style abstract imagery as well as more traditional, ambient landscapes, often taking his inspiration from the dramatic and beautiful rural hillsides of northern England.

The Pure Art Gallery

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