If you’re a regular reader of The Daily Hart, you know that I love going to museums. Art museums. Science museums. History museums. It doesn’t matter. If it’s a place where I can go and learn something, I’m in. Which means I have visited museums, big and small, of every possible variety, for decades now. And sometimes, visiting these museums can be an adventure unto itself.
For example, take my recent visit to Saint-Nazaire in western France. This lovely seaside town is home to a submarine museum where you can actually walk through a real, decommissioned submarine. Which was a first for me, as I had never been on a submarine prior to this. But Google also claimed that there was a small art museum located on the west side of the town that looked interesting. According to Google, this museum was open on Sunday mornings, as confirmed by a call just weeks prior to my visit. However, upon arrival at about 11AM, the building was very much closed, and a sign said that it would open at 3PM. Epic fail on Google’s part.
However, all was not lost. There was a car in the parking lot of this building. And in that car was a woman who must have clearly seen the disappointment writ across my face, because the next thing I knew she was offering to open up the building. Even more extraordinary was the fact that she was Marie-Béatrice Jauzelon, the artist whose work was on display inside. Her work is vegetable art, made through the use of vegetable juices and nectars, and it was beautiful. It was made even more special by the fact that the artist was on hand to talk about her work in person.
So there you have it. Saint-Nazaire is a lovely town and I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend there. But in particular, I will never forget the kindness of Marie-Béatrice Jauzelon, an artist who righted Google’s wrong and opened up a museum for me for a private visit so that I could experience her art. What a wonderful weekend indeed.
Suggestions for artists I should check out? Please contact me with your ideas. I hope you enjoyed your daily helping of art!
