Andréa Ferréol, founder of Les Flâneries in Aix-en-Provence
Andréa Ferréol is well known in France for her career as a stage and screen actress. Playful, sparkling and sunny, she was unforgettable in La grande Bouffe, Les Galettes de Pont-Aven and Le Dernier Métro. In 2024, she is still pursuing an active career, with a succession of films and plays.
Passionate and tirelessly curious, her destiny is marked by a series of happy coincidences and ideas to share.
As well as being an actress, Andréa Ferréol is an art activist. That’s why Artistes Actuels met her.
Under the sign of the Arts starting from the city of Aix-en-Provence
Andréa Ferréol’s roots are in Aix-en-Provence, a city of art where the colors of Cézanne and the fragrances of Saint-Victoire vibrate with the light of Provence.
As a student at the Beaux-Arts d’Aix-en-Provence, a classmate with the look of a Modigliani portrait led her to an acting class… and the story continues.
A collector of 150 paintings, Andréa Ferréol has always had discerning artistic taste. Her personal collection combines the family heritage of small Aix masters with contemporary works that she selects with a keen eye.
In 2006, she offered her home town of Aix-en-Provence a masterpiece by Gabriel Sterk: the monumental 2.20-metre statue of Cézanne in the Place de La Rotonde.
The generosity of sponsors left her with a residual budget, which she invested in the innovative idea of an annual event dedicated to contemporary art: thus were born Les Flâneries d’art contemporain dans les jardins aixois and the Aix-en-Œuvres association.
Flâneries d'art, a pre-summer interlude
For almost 20 years, the event has been held every year for a weekend in mid-June.
The concept has been developed over the years, but the unique atmosphere remains: a symbiosis of visual arts, music, theater, opera and literature in charming gardens, where everyone can stroll around, pick and choose, or enjoy each art form to the utmost.
Private association initiative, the event relies on the generosity of owners of remarkable gardens who open them to the public for three days.
“Les Flâneries d’art contemporain dans les jardins aixois” also relies on rigorous organization: finalization of a rich program, set-up in a single day, 48 hours of exhibitions surrounded by the allegro rhythm of stage performances, tidying and cleaning to return the owners of the site to their orderly calm.
The Flâneries Committee is responsible for selecting the artists. Applications should be sent to aix-en-oeuvres@wanadoo.fr
The event, which is free of charge for visitors, benefits from financial and in-kind sponsors (art materials, cosmetics, sweets and beverages): new sponsors are most welcome!
A review of the 2024 edition of Les Flâneries d'Aix
The 2024 edition of Les Flâneries opened with a unique inaugural evening with a staged reading of Erwin Zirmi’s play “Les Deux Reines”, starring Andréa Ferréol and Frédérique Tirmont, thanks to the support of the Fondation d’entreprise AG2R LA MONDIALE pour la vitalité artistique.
The event closed with a masterly performance by singer Nathalie Dessay, accompanied on piano by Philippe Cassard.
Le public était au rendez-vous d’un programme éclectique : conférence de Yoyo Maeght, sulpture-design de Guillaume Piéchaud, céramique de Sylvie Dubois, sculpture de Pauline Ohrel, lectures par Emilie Reignier, Jacques Patron, Julie Depardieu et Stéphan Druet… Programme complet sur www.aix-en-oeuvres.com
Prochaine édition à ne pas manquer les 20-21-22 juin 2025. La galerie Artistes Actuels sera présente avec quelques-uns de ses artistes !
The editorial team
The thrill of artistic discoveries
