Here, in the Gallerie Bessieres located in Chatou, just outside of Paris, is a photo by Serge Najjar, called “The Wait.” He is a Lebanese photographer who traces the fine line between the ordinary and the non-ordinary.

When I saw this painting, I thought it was apt, due to the amount of waiting we’ve been involved in with this blog. We have even been waiting for the blog itself while I took a month long sojourn in France.

Galerie Bessières Art Contemporain
The exhibit of Najjar was held here.

In their words, “Ideally located just outside Paris, the 450 square meters of our exhibition rooms overlook the Seine River, on the Impressionists’ Island in Chatou. They extend through a functional modern layout but are inside a historical building, partly built in the 18th century: the Maison Levanneur. Renoir’s emblematic The Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881), which introduced artistic modernity, was painted just outside our gallery! The Maison Levanneur also hosted the first Fauvist atelier at the turn of the 20th century, and later became a particularly exacting laboratory of contemporary publishing with the CNEAI – Centre national édition art image – art center. The Gallery remains committed to developing this continual spirit of experimentation in its programming.“

Here’s Renoir’s “The Luncheon of the Boating Party”

My words now: What’s interesting about Najjar’s photo above is that it rides the line between painting and photography. The gallery is dedicated to showcasing lively modern art–with such a large display space, it’s like a small museum. The artists are relatively unknown, given that some of the pieces were under 1000 euros. (Some of the pieces, however, were not!)

Here’s something about the Najjar, the artist, a comrade at arms, so to speak, in the manner of waiting.
https://www.bessieres-art-contemporain.com/serge-najjar

CHATOU

Not so far from Versailles, or Paris, for that matter, Chatou (in the red) is a spot along the undulating Seine where the Impressionists went to paint. Very pretty to visit. And the gallery is top notch.

Many stories to tell.

I hope this getting re-acquainted blog was worth the wait!