From Lines to Figures: The Drawings of Colette Richarme (1904–1991) at the Atger Museum
Exhibition organized by the Montpellier Interuniversity Library
Dates: September14–December 21, 2018
Hours: Monday–Friday, 1:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
To showcase the entire collection, the works are displayed on a rotating basis.
Each new exhibition is marked by a weekend opening, in addition to the daily opening hours from Monday through Friday:
- September 15 and 16 (European Heritage Days), mornings and afternoons,
- Saturday, October 20, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.,
- Saturday, November 24, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- On October 20 and November 24 at 3:30 p.m., you can take part in a storytelling tour of the exhibition.
- On October 3 and November 7, you can participate in a writing workshop (from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; registration required).
Location:Atger Museumat the Faculty of Medicine, historic building – 2 Rue Ecole de Médecine, 34000 Montpellier
From Lines to Figures: The Drawings of Colette Richarme at the Atger Museum.Exhibition catalog (2018), 44 pages. €7
In early 2018, the Atger Museum’s collection of drawings was expanded with a donation of seventy-seven drawings by Colette Richarme (1904–1991), following an initial donation of four drawings by the artist’s family in 2005, as part of the exhibition “Jeux de figures.” This new and significant donation was made possible by the inventory work carried out by the studio since Richarme’s death, which was continued and completed bythe Richarme Association.
Colette Richarme was born in Canton and spent her childhood in China. Her artistic talent became apparent at a very young age. She returned to France before World War I. In 1935, after settling in Paris, she enrolled in the studios of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, where she was a classmate of Louise Bourgeois. It was in Montpellier that she truly began her career as an artist, presenting her first solo exhibition in 1941. After the war, she maintained regular contact with Paris (art fairs, annual exhibitions) while actively participating in the regional art scene. Until the end of her life, she continued her artistic exploration in her studio in the Languedoc region.
Colette Richarme is now the most widely represented artist at the Atger Museum: eighty-one drawings on a variety of themes, including nudes, figures, portraits, and landscapes.
These drawings have been cataloged, stamped, packaged, and digitized by the BIU’s Written and Graphic Heritage Department. The exhibition marks the culmination of this donation and is organized by the Written and Graphic Heritage Department and the University of Montpellier.
In addition to the drawings, the exhibition will feature several of Richarme’s paintings and art supplies, on loan from Colette Richarme’s family for the duration of the exhibition.
Photo credits: University of Montpellier / SCDI Montpellier – Photography Department