Les Nouveaux commanditaires

Nya Uppdragsgivare
Nuovi Committenti
Nuevos Comanditarios
Taiteen Uudet Tukijat
De Nieuwe Opdrachtgevers
New Patrons
Die Neue Auftraggeber
Komanditario berriak

Le carré Rouge
Gloria Friedmann (avec Adelfo Scaranello)

Patrons - Hubert Guénin (relayé par sa veuve Solange et son neveu Jean-François)
Mediator - Xavier Douroux
Supporters - Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (Mission mécénat)
Route de Santenoge, 52160 Villars-Santenoge, 1997

The context

The owner of a plot in the south of the Langres plateau wanted to install a basic shelter to accommodate a public of hunters and fishermen. In order to give it a singular dimension, he takes the initiative to call upon an artist. This commission should enable the village, despite its isolation, to be part of a contemporary history and development.

The commission

Located in a place far from any habitation, the "refuge painting" is perceived as a painting in the landscape. Nearby, it is a minimal cubic volume at the edge of a pond. Inside, neither water or electricity, the floor is made of clay, the walls of brick, the furniture of wood. Designed for a maximum of six people, the "Red Square" offers a radical immersion experience. Since its opening, it has been rented by a predominantly urban clientele, including foreigners, without excluding local visitors when the climate becomes harsher. Its operation is self-financing.

Gloria Friedmann

At the same time, the artist tried unsuccessfully to create a sculpture-shelter in the Alps : she lived near the site and knew the region of Chatillon in depth. She notes: "For a long time I have been trying to create a work in the middle of nature, isolated, far from everything, but that we can reach".