Discover the contemporary work of Yolande SALMON-DUVAL

YOLANDE SALMON-DUVAL Naïve painting Yolande Salmon-Duval was born in Le Mans in 1950. For several generations, the members of the family have been joyful and skillful painters and musicians. Faithful to the family tradition, Yolande has been sharing her time between the piano and painting ever since she was a child. But fantasy came later, when she became an adult and when, in 1978, she opted for naive painting.After her A-levels, with an option in art history, she felt also much attracted by literary studies and particularly foreign languages. In 1972, at the University of Maine (Le Mans, France) she passed a Bachelor's degree in English studies, as well as a DEUG (university diploma taken after two years) in Spanish Studies and obtained a husband in the bargain.Since then, she has been sharing her everyday life, in a large and pleasant 19th century house with her studio overlooking the garden, with her academic of a husband, a bunch of happy cats, among which, during eighteen blissful years, the celebrated and delicious Leopoldine and, today, Jules, a newly-arrived charming and gorgeous British blue cat.Yolande Salmon-Duval, whose work was on exhibit at Gallery Naifs et Primitifs in Paris from 1988 to 1997, regularly presents her paintings in solo and group exhibitions in France (Le Mans, Châtellerault, Niort, Béziers, Saint-Malo, Honfleur, Sarlat, La Rochelle, Amboise, Lyon, Nice and Paris etc.) and abroad (U.S.A., Belgium, Israel, Italy, Iran, Germany, Greece, Japan); she has been awarded several prizes and medals and has been guest of honor in art fairs.Yolande Salmon-Duval celebrated her thirty years of naïve painting in December 2008 with a major solo exhibition at the Galerie de l’Eclat de Verre in Le Mans, her hometown. Yolande Salmon-Duval is a member of "Naïfs et Primitifs" (Paris) and of F.I.C.F. (International Cultural Federation of Women). Yolande Salmon-Duval as seen by herself"For any painter, the envy and the passion for painting remains mysterious…One cannot remember when it took birth, when it began to invade mind and thoughts: it is strong and there is no explanation for this strength. My great-grandfather, my grandmother, my father painted, and I was a child when I began to feel a real fascination for what they did: I was in my early teens…I began to be seriously attracted and the pleasure was already huge. Now, it is my life, my job, my protection and a happiness which matured with the years: painting is also a means to escape the time which elapses, a protection against the dirty things of life. I also enjoy very much preparing exhibitions and showing what I do to people all around the world, regardless of their national and cultural backgrounds. I am firmly convinced that the form of art I have chosen – naïve painting – can cross borders."Solo Exhibitions and commissioned paintings (France and abroad) 2010 « L’Estran » Cultural Centre - Agon-Coutainville –Manche, France CCHL Agon-Coutainville : Lecture on « Naïve painting: a multi-faceted approach of life » delivered on 7 May 2010 2008 L’Eclat de Verre Gallery « Celebrating thirty years of naïve painting » – Le Mans, France2007-2010 « L’Atelier de Marianne » Gallery . Paris 2007-2009 « Tropical’ Art » Gallery. Limoges, France 2007 Le Choiseul Hotel and Resort. Amboise, France 2006 MIDAN Gallery (International Museum of Naïve Art) Vicq, France 2006 Galerie du Château de Trédion (Morbihan), France 2005 Damon Gallery. Poitiers, France 2005 Commissioned painting for a Japanese company 2004 Anne de Bretagne Gallery. Morlaix, France 2003 ArtG.Gallery. Béziers, France 2001-2004 Chisseaux .Gallery Paris 2001 Commissioned painting for private householder 2000 Le Choiseul Hotel and Resort. Amboise, France 2000-2002 Damon Gallery. Châtellerault et Ile de Ré, France 1998-2000 Galerie Rive Droite. San Francisco 1998 Galerie d’Art Spontané. Brussels, Belgium 1997 Commissioned paintings for private individuals 1995-1999 Signatures Gallery. Honfleur, France 1993-1994 Métamorphose Gallery. Montargis, France 1992-1995 Galerie Acanthe. Saint-Malo, France 1990 Tourist Office. Sablé, France 1989-1997 Galerie Naïfs et Primitifs. Paris 1989 Commissioned paiting for a restaurant in Paris 1988 Jacques Goupil Gallery. Alençon, France1988-2005 Galerie des Remparts. Le Mans, France Group Exhibitions and Arts Shows (France and abroad) 2010 4th Crystal Aigle de Nice Arts Show (Theme: Circus)2008-2010 20th, 21st and 22nd Aigle de Nice International Arts Shows2008-2009 22nd and 23rd Plastic Arts Shows. La Rochelle, France 2008 Salon des Indépendants . Paris 2008-2010 " Cats » A themed exhibition - « Le Vert Galant » Gallery. Paris 2007 Naïve Art Festival. Brussels, Belgium 2007-2008 « Naïve joie de vivre » - GINA Gallery of International Naïve Art - Tel-Aviv and New York 2005 FICF Arts Show. Paris (City Hall -16ème arrondissement) 2006 The Cat Museum. Richelieu (Indre et Loire), France 2005-2009 Naïve Art Festival Verneuil-sur-Avre, France 2005 « The Artists of French Naïve Art ». Tokyo and other Japanese cities - « The twentieth anniversary of the Choiseul Hotel and Resort ». Amboise, France - Group exhibition organized by Groupe des Primitifs Modernes dits « Naïfs ». Andrésy, France 2004 Arts Show organized by FICF. Tehran (Iran) 2001 Arts Show organized by FICF. Athens (Greece) 2000 « Naïve and Primitive » Art Show organized by Katou Fournier. Espace St-Martin. Paris 1999 International Naïve Art Show « 120 Pittori Naïfs a Guiglia ». Modena (Italy) - The Christmas Miniature Show. Chelsea Mansion. New-York - FICF Arts Show. Sarlat, France 1998-2000 Group exhibitions organized in France by Groupe des Primitifs Modernes dits « Naïfs ». Samoens, Croissy-sur Seine, Dinard, Andrésy, Versailles 1998 Naïve Art Show « Couleurs du Pays de Caux ». Auffay, France - « Cercle des Arts de Paris » Arts Show. City Hall - 4ème arrondissement. Paris - « Artists as witnesses of their times ». Beauvallon, France - Haute-Loire Arts Show . Le Puy-en-Velay, France - European Painters and Sculptors Arts Show. Livron, France 1994 " Les Naïfs Gourmands » Art Show organized by Jean de Joigny Gallery. Joigny, France 1992 Arts Show. Brive, France 1988 The Halle au Blé Arts Show. Alençon, France 1983-1986 Maine Plastic Arts Show. Le Mans, France Prizes 2010 3rd Prize – Bronze Aigle de Nice 2010, France Special mention4th Crystal Aigle de Nice, France 2009 3rd Prize – Bronze Aigle de Nice 2009, France2009 Theme Medal. Plastic Arts Show. La Rochelle, France2008 Bronze Medal. Plastic Arts Show . La Rochelle, France2008 20th Aigle de Nice International Arts Show, France - City of Cagnes/Mer Prize - 2nd Triumvirate Prize 2004 1st Prize « The Twentieth Anniversary of the Choiseul Hotel and Resort». Amboise, France2002 Guest of Honor« Colours and Passions ». Cheptainville/Arpajon, France1997 2nd Prize European Painters and Sculptors Arts Show. Livron, France1987 Public Favorite The Halle au Blé Arts Show. Alençon, France1986 « Lefranc-Bourgeois » Prize. Maine Plastic Arts Show. Le Mans, FranceLicensing and miscellaneous2003-2010 Copyrights licensed to Japanese publishers for the publishing of numbered diamond prints 2009 Copyrights licensed to UNICEF 2004 Copyrights licensed to UNICEF 2005 Cards. Curators Inc. Art & Architecture (Japan) - Hélidès Calendars (France) since 2005 Cartes d’Art Publishers. Paris - Copyrights licensed to Présence Marketing. Paris since 2005 Copyrights licensed for the creation of the 2006 and 2007 calendars released by Japanese and German companies - Akoun quotation - 2004 Publication in the Celda educational catalogue « Les Outils de la Pédagogie » - Calendars and prints. Japan 2002 Copyrights licensed for the creation of jigsaw puzzles presented in the Nuremberg International Toy Fair. Germany 2001 Entry in « Le Marché de l’Art 2001 » (L’œil, Artprice.com) - Copyrights licensed to the « La Renardière » Hotel for the creation ot its 2002 calendar. Samoëns, France - Entry in the « Drouot Cotation » Dictionary - Copyrights licensed for the creation of the 2002 calendar of a Japanese bank 2000-2002 Copyrights licensed for the creation of the 2001 and 2003 calendars of the Le Mans-Nord district 1998-2005 Articles in « Atout-Chat », « Chat Magazine » et «Côté Chat »1997 Creation of a « naïve design » crockery line (limited edition )1988 Auction and article in the Hôtel Richelieu-Drouot magazine. Paris

"Chaque tableau est une histoire, une tranche de vie, une petite portion de temps immobilisé, chaque tableau montre des lieux, des paysages, met en scène des animaux, ravive des émotions, parle de musique, de saisons, de couleurs, de nature. Et c’est cette vie-là que je mets dans mon art, et c’est avec cet art-là, cette peinture-là, que je vis bien. C’est ma manière à moi de raconter, comme on pourrait tenir son journal intime ou écrire des livres. Toutes les belles choses de cette époque là sont dans ma tête, bien calées, bien installées, et je m’en sers pour mon travail de peintre. Et quel autre style de peinture pouvait  me permettre de m’exprimer si parfaitement, si profondément, si joyeusement, si clairement, sinon la peinture naïve ? Il n’y avait aucun autre style de peinture possible. Il ne faudrait pas croire que c’est une solution de facilité, car si l’esprit et l’œil sont « naïfs », la main ne l’est pas. Malgré les apparences et les clichés qui traînent, c’est une peinture riche, dense, compliquée, sophistiquée parce qu’il y a des quantités de choses à y mettre, parce que la vie est riche, passionnante, dense et compliquée mais la peinture naïve est accueillante. Je sais très bien dessiner. J’aime d’autres formes de peinture. Chez moi, ma collection de tableaux est très fantaisiste, très éclectique. Autrefois, j’ai même peint autrement. Mais pour la création, c’est l’art naïf qui me convient. C’est dans cet art-là, que je me sens bien; c’est avec cette peinture-là que mon imaginaire se met en route. Toutes mes réserves d’inspiration sont là et je ne peux rien y changer. Et je conclurai avec la remarque de quelqu’un qui m’a dit récemment: « la peinture naïve, c’est votre ADN. », et elle avait vraiment tout compris. » …