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Created by the American artist Nall, the N.A.L.L. Art Association (
Nature Art & Life League), offers artistic training for
college students, and creates a cultural life through exhibitions and
conferences. The N.A.L.L. is also open to artists of all
callings : painters, sculptors, writers, and musicians.
Situated on nine terraced acres this estate is nestled
in a small valley in Vence, offering eight fully equipped studios
and cabins where artists independently live and work,
together with a studio-museum designed and built by Nall. " I
hope that this pastoral environment will inspire artists to create more
positive works."
He willingly describes himself as a "man of extremes",
and for year collected materials from around the world which he
mixed into the construction of this, his largest work, . The Museum
vibrates with styles of past centuries . The floors, painted in
trompe-l'oeil, blend with Indian french and Italian,sculpted
doors and columns from the XIIth, XVth and XVII th centuries. A fish
pond with a fountain creates the centerpiece of the back terrace
overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
In the entrance to the Museum the mantel of the fireplace, overhung
by Matisse tiles and facing a stained-glass window from the Cathedral
in Algiers, are oak beams from the Gould residence in
Cannes. Charlie Lucas, an Alabama "Outsider" artist created a
sculpture inspired by an alter in the St. Paul Cathedral, with varying
masks signifying heaven and hell. In the courtyard, Syrian
mosaics dating from 200 A.D., and a mirrored wall reflect the
olive groves and cypress trees. Certainly a magical place
that has been an inspiration for many works of art.
"Inspired by the material and encouraged by the spiritual" confides
Nall, explaining the presence of eyes and bones in many of his works :
" The eye is the eye of God, watching us all the time and symbol in all
religions. The bone is the symbol of Man's vanity and all which remains
of him.
With over 200 one-man shows , Nall at 55 , has exhibited his
works in galleries and museums around the world, and is included
in many major collections. He has recently
received an Honorary Doctorate from Troy State University,
Troy,Alabama.
Showing enormous versatility he has designed "Tuscia's Roses", and
"Mediterranean Gold" , porcelain manufactured by R. Haviland and
C. Parlon of Limoges. His
harmonious yet complex landscapes in water color, mosaic, and collage
are equal to his magical skill in capturing the soul in
portraits. Some more noted portrait commissions
include: Prince Albert of Moanco, Ringo Starr and
Barbara Bach, The former Governor and First Lady of Alabama
Don and Lori Siegelman , Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr., Truman Capote, Helen Keller, Booker T.
Washington, and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird".
For the Year 2000, he published a book "Alabama Art" which won the Mary
Ellen Lopreski Award for the best art book in the
southeastern USA. This body of works including thirteen
Alabama Artists has been on exhibition in over 25
Museums and cultural centers in France and the southern USA since it
opened in Vence and Tourettes . CNN television and American
Artist magazine were two of the international press to cover the event.
Monaco has published a postage stamp from a work created
for their T.V. Festival, and has recently permanently
installed two monumental "Pensee Sunrise and Sunset " Mosaics in L'Opio
tiles ( measuring five meters by five meters each) in their new
cultural center the Grimaldi Forum.
In addition to his generous donations to numerous
charities, Nall has created two foundations in Vence
(France) and in Alabama (USA) which sponsor young artists as
studio assistants. These young artists, aged 18 to 25,
study French, work in his studio, and may enjoy gardening
and the numerous pets on the grounds of the Association .
The N.A.L.L. also houses professional artists, musicians and writers on
a monthly or yearly basis. Within walking distance of the Roman
city Vence, life at the foundation is within easy access to
beaches, museums and opera houses on the Cote d'Azur.
For further information , please apply to:
N.A.L.L.
232 Bd. de Marechal de Lattre
06140, Vence
France
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