Chevaux! – Galerie Malebranche en Campagne,  Val en Vignes

A second contemporary art encounter in Val en Vignes in two days – this small community really benefits from a rich cultural landscape!

Galerie Malebranche en Campagne

In my last post, I was talking about a recent trip to the French countryside, and how pleasantly surprised I was to find not one, but two contemporary art galleries in the small community I was visiting. The first, la corbata rosa, hosts temporary exhibitions as well as a permanent (selling) exhibition from an old dairy coop in Massais. The second, la Galerie Malebranche en Campagne, is the subject of today’s post.

Like la corbata rosa, la Galerie Malebranche en Campagne has moved to the Deux-Sèvres region from elsewhere. The original Galerie Malebranche was an art gallery on rue Malebranche in Paris. It unfortunately didn’t survive the pandemic, and this version (its name means ‘the Galerie Malebranche in the Countryside’) is its rural afterlife. Michèle Cointe and Emmanuel Homand open up free-to-visit exhibitions each summer in Saint Pierre à Champ, Val en Vignes. Back in Paris, a new gallery on the same site, Marches à Suivre, supplies antiquities to sit in dialogue with works of contemporary art.

Visiting is a very personal experience. The gallery is open Thursday to Sunday afternoons, or by appointment. We chose the latter option, and were welcomed by Homand who gave us a tour of this year’s exhibition. Granted, you do need your own transport (car, bike… or horse?) to get to Val en Vignes or any of its galleries, but I could get used to this life of seeing art in rural settings, and getting to speak to the people who are passionate about it.

Chevaux!

The current exhibition is Chevaux! (Horses!). The concept is simple. Paying homage to the horse, once so ubiquitious and necessary to agriculture, transport, war, cuisine (still somewhat in France). Horses are still around, of course. We saw the Living Museum of the Horse last year in Chantilly, there is another riding school near Val en Vignes in Saumur, and this exhibition is dedicated to Damien and Bruno Morille who raise horses at stables nearby. It’s just not what it was.

Given the former ubiquity of horses, though, it’s not surprising there are many artworks to choose from. In terms of the contemporary art, artists include Pierre Gaste, Nicolas Alquin, and Wilhelm Moser. Gaste’s works, using a mix of painting and tracing techniques, are nuanced and interesting. There are sculptures and works on paper by Alquin. His angular, geometric shapes reminded me somehow of the inspiration the likes of Gaudí took from nature. These works are juxtaposed with a 17th century St George on horseback, an 18th century Dutch military scene, or 20th century Dakakari sculptures from Nigeria. The flair for exhibition design and lighting is very Parisian, while outside you hear the wind blowing through the trees (or the ribbon sculpture installed in one of them).

I really like this concept of blending art and antiquities. It draws on Cointe and Homand’s professional experience to create something interesting and with local resonance. The subject of the horse is simple, but has great artistic depths to plumb. I hope to have the opportunity to return and see what else this little gallery has to offer.

Chevaux! on until 16 August 2026. For more information about the gallery and future exhibitions, see here.