Benvengudo Hotel Visits the Museum of Louis Jou in Provence
Located in the heart Les Baux-de-Provence village is the Louis Jou Exhibition. For those visiting Benvengudo Hotel with an interest in the Renaissance and the rich heritage of Les Baux, the exhibition of Louis Jou is a must see attraction.
Louis Jou (1881-1968) was an artist, engraver, illustrator, typographer and talented editor. Louis Jou’s reputation stems from works that combine creative power with perfect execution.
Located in Les Baux village, a 30 minute walk from Benvengudo Hotel and open from April to September, the Louis Jou exhibition has much to offer:
- Louis Jou’s studio – No admission charge (Open April to September)
- Louis Jou Museum – Visits by appointment.
- Events include Exhibitions, conferences, bookbinding competitions, Courses, Engraving and printing, engraving in stone and bookbinding.
The Hôtel Renaissance Jean de Brion
A master Typographer, Louis Jou is a man held close to the hearts of the people of Les Baux-de-Provence. He faithfully restored the magnificent Renaissance Jean de Brion Mansion in the 1920’s and, in doing so, played his part in the conservation and revival of the village that lived through years of struggle at the hands of the Lords of Baux.
The Louis Jou Foundation
We can perhaps see where Jou gained his inspiration from given that he was a friend of painters and poets Andre Derain (co-founder of Fauvism), Pablo Picasso, Guillaume Apollinaire and Andre Suarès. In 1939 Jou decided to set up his studio in Les Baux-de-Provence. Between the manual presses and the sets of letters created by the artist, you can see the world of typography and édition d’art. In a nutshell, Louis Jou was a passionate artist who had a major influence on contemporary book design.
Due to his contribution to the village, Jou has been honoured with a museum and studio at the site of the Jean de Brion Mansion. Displayed at this museum are some of his finest works; furniture, collections of ancient books, engravings by Dürer and Goya, paintings, sculptures and ceramics, all in the intimacy of the 6 rooms of the Jean de Brion Mansion. A Tour of the Mansion is available and can be followed by a visit to the workshops, which contain the presses used by Louis Jou during his time as Master typographer, engraver, printer and publisher.
A Final Word on Louis Jou
Louis Jou was a creative artist influenced by some of the great printers of the 15th and 16th centuries. He aimed to enrich tradition by creating his own typefaces, composing type by hand and designing the page layout of many publications. He illustrated pages with woodcuttings and printed them using a hand press.
Poet and publisher Pierre Seghers best described him as “the architect of books and Les Baux”.
Benvengudo Hotel is a 4 star luxury boutique hotel located in Les Baux-de-Provence. Set in an authentic Provencal country house, its idyllic location offers a perfect base from which to explore this remarkable region in the South of France.
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