They went to the centre of India, to the heart of an arid, poor, forgotten region, where a rocky outcrop stood. At its foot, a village. At its summit, a mysterious palace, half-built and carved into the rock. At the invitation of the maharani, they discovered a hallucinating universe, rather like Indiana Jones. Gérard Garouste recalls in particular a cistern outside the palace, which he says was one of the greatest aesthetic moments of his life! To cool off, the maharajas climbed down a staircase leading to balconnets attached to the wall. There, they were sprayed by delicate elephants sculpted in the stone of the fountains. The dinner, served on the highest terrace of the palace, was as dazzling as it was out of place: eight waiters in worn suits and the four guests, seated around the only half-chicken that the maharani, very poor despite her rank, had been able to offer them. All served in chipped crockery... In his opinion, absolute chic in such a setting!
In the end, the exhibition never took place, partly because of the Gulf War. But what a wonderful adventure!
It's in circumstances like these that the painter likes to travel. He likes to be in the reality of a place, with people who live there and share their daily lives. He rarely travels; for him, it remains an event. For example, he wouldn't dream of setting off in a fortnight's time to see the Mayan pyramids in the company of groups of Japanese or Germans...
He remembers attending a funeral in Morocco with all the local rituals. A moment that could have been unique. But that was without the indecent tourists who kept taking photos. For Gérard Garouste, tourism kills travel. And travelling is not about consuming photos, seeing only through a lens. On the contrary, it's about being subjective, interpreting what you see personally, and not putting off your reflection, your openness to the world, to others, to adventure... An adventure that, according to Gérard Garouste, requires you to clear your head first!
Six dates
1965: Enrols at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, aged 19.
1982: First international exhibition, in New York.
1991: Founds La Source, an educational and social action association helping children through art.
1996: Creation of a monumental work combining painting and wrought iron for the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
1997: The Fondation Cartier presents Les Indiennes at Jouy-en-Josas.
2009: Publication of the autobiographical book "L'Intranquille", in which madness is evoked.
