At the edge of the Calanques, the national park along the coastline between Marseille and La Ciotat, is Friche de l’Escalette: a sculpture park set amid an abandoned mine and ruined buildings (‘friche’ means ‘wasteland’). Collector and dealer Éric Touchaleaume opened the park in 2016 to share his collection of sculpture and design – with Prouvé, Jeanneret, Perriand and Le Corbusier being particular favourites – through permanent displays and a temporary exhibition each summer. This year it’s ‘Germaine Richier: La Méditerranéenne’, a solo show of figurative sculptures by the Provençal artist who worked in materials including bronze, plaster, bone and wood (until 29 September). Highlights include The Runner (1955), an elongated bronze figure rapt in concentration that was originally intended as a monument in a French sports stadium.
Find out more from Friche de L’Escalette’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary
The Runner (1955), Germaine Richier. Friche de l’Escalette, Marseille. Photo: © C. Baraja/E. Touchaleaume
Torso 1 (1934), Germaine Richier. Friche de l’Escalette, Marseille. Photo: © C. Baraja/E. Touchaleaume
Water (1953–54), Germaine Richier. Friche de l’Escalette, Marseille. Photo: © C. Baraja/E. Touchaleaume