The British artist, Alun Williams, known for his work on the notion of the portrait, continues to investigate illusion or resemblance in painting. And what if a spillage of colour, for example, was able to project the presence of a character more powerfully than if the portraitist had composed a conventional reproduction?
In response to the invitation extended by Anne Barrault, Williams has organized a special casting, sending out his own invitation to participate, to an eclectic range of personalities, with the goal of realizing a group portrait and orchestrating a few unexpected encounters in the process. Some invitees will turn the offer down, others will prove not to be good enough, and some will probably send replacements. Apparently a certain Francisco Goya (the great grandson?) will be master of ceremonies for the project, and as sitters, initial rumours announce an exciting range of stars and celebrities, such as Queen Louise of Prussia and Captain Robert Kidd, as well as super models like Victorine Meurent, First Daughters like Hester Leisler, along with fashionable New York painters such as Dana Schutz and Neo Rauch, or even Jean-Michel Basquiat! Other surprise guests are guaranteed. If all of these personalities come back for the opening, the party should be one to remember!
At the moment his work is shown with that of Gérard Gasiorowski, Denis Castellas, Valérie Favre, Stéphane Pencreac’h at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Nice (MAMAC) in the exhibition “le chemin de peintures”.