In the wedding hall of Agde, a mural is being restored
Colorful from floor to ceiling, the wedding hall of the house in the heart of town looks like a movie set. On the walls, works painted directly on the plaster retrace the rich history of the city, from the arrival of the Greek navigators to the radiant viticulture of the 20th century.
On the walls of the room, all the talent of Catalan artists
Fine line, attention to detail, these paintings were born from an order from the municipality, which had been able to appreciate the talent of several Catalan artists in exile, refugees in the camp of Agde.
In their spare time, the painter Cadena, the ironworker Clavell and the sculptor Tarrac, who did not know each other before being reunited in France, had in fact exhibited several of their works during the summer of 1939. led the mayor at the time, Jean Félix, to give them carte blanche for the decoration of the wedding hall.
Among these creations, an allegory of the famous Birth of Venus, by the Italian painter Botticelli, where Agde imagery is widely represented. A remarkable work, but whose quality began to deteriorate over time.
For just under €10,000, the City has therefore decided to preserve and restore the work of Pierre Cadena. a mission entrusted to the Lot-based company Malbrel. "We are going to treat the cracks with a special coating, fill in the gaps that we have been able to identify and consolidate the pictorial layer with injections", explains the technician in charge of this work, which will continue for another two weeks, "knowing that this paint mural had already been the subject of a first restoration at the end of the 1970s", adds Christine Antoine, assistant delegate for heritage.
In this vast space, several paintings have already been restored, others will be in the years to come. A welcome facelift for a room that has seen so many Agathois unite their destinies.
