2023-06-24 15:30:01
It is an appointment that a good part of Douarnenists should not miss: the village hall hosts, from Saturday June 24 and until Saturday August 12, a magnificent exhibition devoted to the work of Ronan Olier. Appointed official painter of the Navy in 2001, Ronan Olier, born in 1949 in Douarnenez, died on December 23, 2020 at the age of 71, leaving behind a plethora of works. A hundred of them, in very diverse styles (gouache painting, oil painting, sculpture, folding, modeling clay, writing), are currently exhibited in the village hall. They have been carefully selected by the five people who have been working on this project for more than two years: Dominique Olier, Ronan’s wife, his friends Jean-Yves Crochemore and Dominique Le Bihan, as well as Isabelle Clément, cultural assistant , and Frédérique Huet, in charge of cultural affairs at the City.
“A few days following Ronan’s death, I was contacted by Jean-Yves Crochemore, who told me regarding this exhibition project. This interested me because Ronan died suddenly, during the covid, and we were unable to organize a ceremony worthy of the name due to the sanitary constraints in force at that time. I didn’t want him to be forgotten,” explains Dominique Olier. “There was the desire to do a retrospective of the work of Ronan, who was very well known in Douarnenez and beyond, in particular as an official painter of the Navy. And it was interesting to show his work beyond gouache and oils”, continues Jean-Yves Crochemore.
Approached in turn, the City of Douarnenez also quickly validated the principle of this tribute exhibition. “The commitment was already made when I became cultural assistant at the end of 2021”, underlines Isabelle Clément, who then succeeded Françoise Fimbault.
From left to right, Jean-Noël Nourry, friend of Ronan Olier, Jocelyne Poitevin, mayor of Douarnenez, Dominique Olier, wife of Ronan Olier, Jean-Yves Crochemore, friend of Ronan Olier, and Isabelle Clément, cultural assistant. (The Telegram/Dimitri L’hours)
“It was Douarnenez first”
This collective work has paid off: beautifully staged by Dominique Le Bihan, in conjunction with the City’s services, this exhibition highlights the many talents of Ronan Olier, his love of the sea, boats, travel and poetry, as well as his great artistic curiosity. “He liked to experiment, to mix techniques. With him, everything was a pretext for a collage or an assembly”, smile Dominique Olier and Jean-Yves Crochemore, without forgetting to recall his taste for transmission. “He taught as an applied arts teacher in various vocational high schools in the region. He was very fond of his students, who returned the favor to him,” says Dominique Olier.
A booklet has been produced by the City of Douarnenez as part of the exhibition. (The Telegram / Dimitri L’hours)
“It was Douarnenez first”
There is no doubt that they too will come to bring back the memory of Ronan Olier to the village hall. They will even be able to remember his voice and his gestures, thanks to a 35-minute documentary, produced in the early 2000s and centered on the painter. It is broadcast in a loop, on a screen slightly isolated from the rest of the exhibition. Once completed, it may be required to travel to other countries. In any case, this is what those who imagined it hope for. “But it was Douarnenez first,” smiles Dominique Olier.
Appointed official painter of the Navy in 2001, Ronan Olier was a lover of maritime landscapes and boats. (The Telegram / Dimitri L’hours)
Convenient
Exhibition by Ronan Olier, at the Salle des fêtes in Douarnenez. Free admission, Monday to Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
1687621297
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