Jean Veber, painter of fairies and satirical and poetic witness of the Belle Époque

To mark the return of the grand set design of "Fairy Tales" to Rosemonde Gérard's boudoir, Villa Arnaga organized the retrospective exhibition "Jean Veber, the painter of fairies: poetic and satirical witness of the Belle Époque" in 2019.

Jean Veber, an artist who was both committed and poetic, oscillated between fantasy and caricature, inspiring Walt Disney and Fritz Lang while denouncing the excesses of modernity and the horrors of war. A sensitive and witty man, he enjoyed the admiration of his contemporaries.

In 1905, on the recommendation of architect Albert Tournaire, Edmond Rostand commissioned him to create the décor for Rosemonde's boudoir. The canvases, totaling 20 meters in length, covered all four walls and blended harmoniously with Alexandre Bigot's flamed stoneware tiles. Veber illustrated Perrault's fairy tales, creating an original work that took several weeks to complete, with the participation of the Rostand family. The décor was a resounding success with the media and helped solidify the artist's reputation.

Jean Veber then pursued prestigious commissions, notably for the Gobelins and the Fairy Tale Salon presented at the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in 1925.

The boudoir canvases, torn down in the 1930s, were dispersed and then acquired by the municipality of Cambo-les-Bains in 2012. After extensive restoration at the Centre for Restoration and Research of the Museums of France, thanks to the support of the DRAC, the Regional Council, the Departmental Council and the Heritage Foundation, they have now regained their original brilliance, allowing the public to rediscover the magical genius of Jean Veber.