Packaging, Transport, and Installation of Paintings for the “Jean Daret, Peintre du Roi en Provence” Exhibition at the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence
For the “Jean Daret, Peintre du Roi en Provence” exhibition held at the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence from June 15 to September 29, 2024, Bovis Fine Art Provence provided exceptional services. As specialists in the transportation of artworks, Bovis Fine Art showcased its expertise, handling everything from custom packaging to secure transport and installation of the pieces.
Custom Packaging for Artworks
The initial step involved creating custom packaging for each piece. These tailor-made packages ensured optimal protection during all phases of transport and handling. Bovis Fine Art’s professional carpentry team crafts various types of crates, adhering to the technical specifications of lenders to ensure maximum safety.
Transport and Restoration of Provençal Artworks
An ambitious restoration campaign for twenty artworks was part of this exhibition. Bovis Fine Art Provence managed the delicate task of removing and transporting numerous pieces from prestigious locations across Provence, including churches, cathedrals, and private mansions, to the Centre Interdisciplinaire de Conservation et de Restauration du Patrimoine (CICRP) in Marseille for restoration. This complex transfer required meticulous planning months in advance. Our specialized teams utilized their technical expertise to handle these fragile artworks without compromising their delicate state.
To remove and handle large-format artworks located in churches and certain private mansions like the Pavillon Vendôme in Aix-en-Provence, Bovis Fine Art leveraged its renowned handling skills. Custom scaffolding installations allowed safe access to these imposing pieces, ensuring their careful manipulation without risk of damage.
Professional Installation at the Musée Granet
After restoration, our teams re-packed and transported the artworks to the Musée Granet for the exhibition. Bovis Fine Art Provence’s team then unpacked the artworks and handled the large-format paintings. Our art handling expertise was crucial in managing these substantial pieces with care and precision, ensuring their secure installation.
Art Hanging and Setup
In collaboration with the Musée Granet’s installation team, Bovis Fine Art Provence also assisted with the hanging of the artworks. This phase, requiring both artistic sensitivity and technical skill, was facilitated by custom scaffolding and the use of a stacker, enabling safe high-altitude manipulation.
Expertise in Art Management
The teams at Bovis Fine Art Provence are proud to have contributed to the “Jean Daret, Peintre du Roi en Provence” exhibition. This remarkable exhibition provides the public with a unique opportunity to explore the masterpieces of Provençal Baroque art in an exceptional setting.
A Milestone Temporary Exhibition in Aix-en-Provence
Highlighting a Lesser-Known Painter: Jean Daret
This summer, the Musée Granet honors Provençal Baroque painter Jean Daret (1614-1668) with a groundbreaking exhibition, the first of its kind dedicated to his work. Despite being rediscovered during a 1978 exhibition in Marseille, Daret remains relatively unknown to the public, despite working for prestigious patrons like Louis XIV and the governor of Provence. His works, displayed in international museums and numerous churches and private mansions in Provence, deserve greater recognition. This exhibition features a hundred of his major works—oils on canvas, drawings, engravings—alongside creations by contemporary masters such as Jacques Blanchard and Nicolas Mignard. Organized into eight thematic sections tracing Daret’s career, the exhibition also includes an “Outside the Walls” tour to discover his works in their original context throughout Provence. This unique event underscores both Jean Daret’s significance in 17th-century French painting and the cultural and heritage richness of Aix-en-Provence and its region.
Ambitious Regional Collaboration for the Exhibition
In the 17th century, Provence provided a privileged environment for artists from all backgrounds, benefiting from significant patronage from the parliamentary, merchant, and military nobility. Jean Daret, along with contemporaries like Nicolas Mignard, Nicolas Pinson, Louis Parrocel, Reynaud Levieux, and Michel Serre, received numerous commissions from the Provençal clergy to adorn cathedrals, collegiate churches, chapels, and parish churches. Many of these magnificent works are still visible today in regional churches. Thanks to the involvement of the Région Sud PACA and 15 Provençal municipalities, a hundred of these works will be visible in situ this summer through an “Outside the Walls” tour designed by the Musée Granet, accessible via a visitor booklet and a web application called Daret en Provence. These tools allow you to explore Jean Daret’s masterpieces and those of his contemporaries in the communes of Bouches-du-Rhône (Aix-en-Provence, Lambesc, Martigues, Salon), Vaucluse (Apt, Bonnieux, Oppède, Ménerbes, Pertuis, Cavaillon), and Var (Pignans, Saint-Maximin, Pontevès, Varages, Aups).
Ambitious Restoration Campaign
This exceptional exhibition benefited from a significant collaboration with the Centre Interdisciplinaire de Conservation et de Restauration du Patrimoine (CICRP) in Marseille, leading to an extensive restoration campaign on twenty paintings preserved in the PACA region. These restored works, now resplendent, are presented in the “Jean Daret, Peintre du Roi en Provence” exhibition at the Musée Granet. This partnership not only preserved major pieces of Jean Daret’s artistic heritage but also enhanced understanding and appreciation of his work, offering the public a unique opportunity to discover the splendor of Provençal Baroque painting in all its richness and diversity.
Learn more about the “Jean Daret, Peintre du Roi en Provence” exhibition at the Musée Granet
