Exhibition guide
This exhibition traces the history of Claude and Christmas. A two-handed, sensual and solar work. The Galerie Les Montparnos is very pleased to invite you to its spring exhibition dedicated to Claude and Noël Franc, a ribbon of sunshine, from 26 March to 14 May 2026.
Visit details
- Dates: Thursday 26 March 2026 to Thursday 14 May 2026: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 10.30am to 6.30pm
- Venue: Galerie Les Montparnos, 5, rue Stanislas, Paris
- Price: free
- Audience: All audiences
- Source: Event page
About the exhibition
Exposure from March 26 to May 14, 2026.
View Thursday, March 26 from 6:30 p.m.
Presentation:
It is always a profound joy to discover a painter. But here the joy is double, because it is not a painter, but two, and more precisely a couple: Claude and Noël Franc, two destiny in its own right, two characters, two roads that meet to share the same adventure, painting.
Both were born in 1935 and of Lyon origin. Claude studied decorative arts in Paris; Christmas forms at the Fine Arts of Lyon. Before meeting, they worked in different occupations. Claude, stall designer and decorator, will work for the Dior house in Paris; Christmas is an interior architect. They met in 1962 and will not leave. Claude and Noël moved to Dardilly in 1969, just a stone's throw from Lyon. This country house then becomes an open workshop, welcoming for more than twenty years friends, painters and models. Dardilly marks the beginning of their commitment to painting. In search of light and colours, they will travel a lot. The discovery of Morocco will be an important source of inspiration.
In Lyon, Morocco or Provence, easet against easet, in the open air or at the workshop, Claude and Christmas paint the atmosphere of these happy moments. A two-handed, sensual and solar work. The compositions are structured and the pallet is bright. Claude and Noël set for ever the rhythms and agitations of life scenes: the crowds of markets, the noise of cafes, the city, its streets and squares, the sunny landscapes, the nudes after models, still lifes and silhouettes in motion. Together, they become essential figures of the Lyon school.