Réseau Lalan: 30 years in the name of art and culture

Created in October 1995 by Raphael Dupouy, Réseau Lalan is an exception, as its president pointed out: “We have been working with passion for 30 years to keep the memory of two artists alive. First of all, Lalan, a Chinese painter (1921-1995), and then her husband, the sculptor-musician Marcel Van Thienen (1922-1998). Settled in Bormes-les-Mimosas, they continued to produce their works.” Over all these years, the hundred or so faithful members have participated in numerous cultural events in the region. For example, in October, a tribute was paid to Marcel Van Thienen at the musée de Bormes-les-Mimosas. During this evening, the Réseau invited Miguel Bonnefoy, a major writer, for a musical reading at the cinéma du Lavandou. Following this, the general assembly was festive, centered around a cocktail buffet to the sound of Colinne Solet's voice at the piano. President Dupouy reemphasized the importance of culture in our lives: “Culture, cultural life, in the sense of questioning, in the sense of our relationship to the world, to beauty, to knowledge, to open-mindedness, are more vital than ever. In these times of chaos, of exacerbated uniformity, of forgetting the self, of estrangement from all spiritual life where man, fallen into materiality, distances himself from the sacred, art and culture are bridges to a deeper, more sensitive, more human life. With more meaning. Simply more beautiful!”

THE PROGRAM OF ACTIVITIES

• Writing workshop, once a month on Tuesday mornings, on the premises of the bibliothèque du Lavandou. As every year, a text reading evening will be offered in mid-June 2026. Eric Serra continues to facilitate this workshop. • Book club, once a month on Monday evenings, at the Espace culturel. • Cine-debate around the film “Sirat”, Cannes Jury Prize 2025, on November 28 at the cinéma Le Grand Bleu. • Lecture “A Brief History of Red in Art”, by Hélène Bonafous-Murat, art historian. • Participation in “Rivages littéraires” on Saturday, March 7, 2026. • Publishing of issue 53 of “Figure libre” on the “30 years of Réseau Lalan”. • Participation in the “12th Rencontres littéraires de Port-Cros”, mid-September 2026. • Intercommunal cultural bus trip, on Saturday, November 29 to Cannes with visits to the art center “La Malmaison” in the morning and the Chapelle Picasso, the musée de la céramique, and the musée Magnelli.

RÉSEAU LALAN

22 rue de la Chapelle - Le Lavandou