Claude Bibeau, a man made for happiness
by Mireille Brisset
Gallery owner and independent curator
In the fall of 1992, Claude came to my gallery one late afternoon. It was his last attempt, he confided to me later, before giving up all hope of finding a place to exhibit his paintings. He showed me some very good large-format photographs of his recent work, the "Tributes" series. His choice was Sébastien (1986), Hommage à René Magritte (1988), Hommage aux pompiers (1989), Hommage à Modigliani (1989), Espoir (1989), Hommage à Lemieux (1990). Despite a very sketchy artist's file, I was immediately convinced that I was in the presence of a master painter. I had not seen anything yet! What a surprise when I visited Claude at his home and entered his world. His environment was an extension of his art, or the other way round. I was thrilled.
Paix et Amour
Tableau Acrylique sur toile 1984
142.0 cm X 142.0 cm
In this environment, all the elements were in dialogue: the toys (an impressive collection of more than 2000 pieces), Claude's paintings, in which many of these same toys had been used as models, the bright colours on the walls, the painted furniture, the icons, the paintings from another period, hyper-realistic ones, works by other artists, friends of Claude, and... more toys. A museum, no more and no less. And in this "museum", where one could have imagined a constraining atmosphere, I felt, on the contrary, completely at ease, relaxed, and this, in spite of the power of the themes evoked in the paintings in front of, behind and beside me. It was Claude's nature that predominated, simple, endearing, warm and playful. An infinite generosity of heart - fruitful, pure, unpretentious.
This happy encounter resulted in a proposal for an exhibition in the spring of 1994, (with an opening planned for 23 March to celebrate his 40th birthday) for which he produced, among other things, three major works, Parade, Figure de tragédie and Figure de comédie, which I describe as masterpieces. A second exhibition followed six months later as Claude's production was going full steam ahead. This time it was mythological themes that inhabited his imagination, including Naissance de l'amour, which he wanted to be the central work in the exhibition. The year 1995 corresponds to an equally fertile period. Now, it is the animals (Four Seasons, Indifference), and the secret life of insects (Un fait vécu) that he observes in his garden, that hold his interest.
The mourning of a loved one, his partner Uwe Von Harpe, who died in October 1997, and the illness that undermines him take over. Claude chose, without bitterness, to stop painting. When I think of Claude Bibeau, the word that comes to mind is "fey", that little English word that doesn't translate well and refers to an extra-lucid, visionary being, in whom death is not a mystery. Claude Bibeau embodied this quality.