The grandchildren of François Nardi, one of Toulon's greatest painters in history, are fighting to preserve the memory of their grandfather who died in 1936. They have been working for years to publish a biography and establish a museum dedicated to the master of Provençal painting, but both projects remain stalled despite their urgent efforts.
In a villa in the Serinette neighborhood of Toulon, sublime paintings cover every wall. Works depicting Lafayette Boulevard, the arsenal, the port, and Fort Saint-Louis hang alongside representations of Venice, Marseille, and Paris. This house, which served as François Nardi's final studio, has been transformed into a private gallery showcasing the artist's work. The descendants prefer to keep the exact address secret, known only to art enthusiasts and collectors.
"My father turned it into a museum thirty years ago, but it didn't last," sighs Jean-Baptiste Nardi, the painter's grandson. "Today, something is missing. What will happen to these paintings once my sister Geneviève and I are gone? That's why we want to publish a biography of François Nardi: to perpetuate his memory and raise the question of preserving his work. And there's urgency," adds the 74-year-old man.
The 163-page manuscript, written by Jean-Baptiste, who holds a doctorate in economic history, has been completed and ready for publication for fifteen years. "We've had several unsuccessful contacts," Jean-Baptiste explains, particularly citing production cost issues. His sister Geneviève continues: "We're talking about a painter who enjoyed international fame, who exhibited in Italy and Russia during his lifetime, and whose works can still be found in Chicago and Bucharest."
François Nardi (1861-1936) was a master of Provençal painting with the unique distinction of always living off his art. With his figurative style featuring impressionist touches, as Jean-Baptiste describes it, he was extremely prolific. More than 3,000 paintings, watercolors, drawings, and oils on wood are attributed to him, all bursting with vibrant colors. "He was called the painter of deep waters for his ability to create remarkable reflections," Geneviève explains. In his works, military ships anchor on the metallic waters of the harbor, while the azure of the Mediterranean responds to the red cliffs of Massacan. The emotion born from his brush competes with historical details captured by the artist's photographic eye.
Currently, one of Nardi's paintings is displayed at the Marine Museum in Toulon, two are at the Art Museum, and another is on deposit at the Old Toulon Museum. François Nardi was also the subject of two exhibitions in Toulon, in 1984 and 2011. Since then, nothing. Visitors must go to the avenue or school bearing his name to find any mention of the painter of Italian origins. The family's dream of an establishment entirely dedicated to him seems increasingly uncertain.
In the large Toulon house, other objects belonging to François Nardi - palettes, pipes, binoculars, easels, and ice skates - would easily enhance the unusual story of an artist who became hemiplegic in the middle of his career. He was also a car enthusiast who, a century ago, regularly drove back and forth between the Var region and the capital city of Paris.
"We can at least imagine a room dedicated to him in a Toulon museum," suggests Jean-Baptiste. "He remains an artist with a certain market value." Last weekend in Draguignan, one of his paintings sold for 1,500 euros. Others sometimes reach double or triple that amount at auction houses. However, this doesn't console his descendants, whose own children show little interest in continuing to write the family's artistic legacy.
"People think we're privileged," Geneviève remarks, confessing that she has had to sell one or two of her ancestor's creations to pay for the villa's maintenance. "But our goal isn't to make money," she emphasizes. "Maintaining this memory involves many worries and sacrifices. And even though we're his heirs, we don't consider ourselves owners of François Nardi's work, only its guardians. We simply want it to be seen as much as possible. We prefer that to having all his paintings disappear one day at flea markets."
