Dr Tony Shaw: Robert Tatin in Cossé-le-Vivien, Mayenne (53)

Robert Tatin (1902-83) was born in Laval and from 1913 to 1916 was an apprentice painter and decorator. Leaving for Paris two years later, he joined evening classes in Fine Arts. He regularly returned to Paris following his travels in Europe, north Africa and New York, where he stayed for six months. From 1946-50 he was a ceramicist in Paris, exploring painting and meeting Giacometti, Dubuffet, Caillaud, Prévert, Breton, etc. From 1950-55 he travelled through South America, and as a ceramicist gained a strong international reputation in Brazil, where he won first prize in the Biennial in Sao Paulo. For a time, on his return to France, he devoted his time to painting, regularly exhibiting in Paris.

In 1962 he bought La Frénouse, a house in Cossé-le-Vivien, Mayenne, and settled there with his wife Lise, whom he'd only met a short time before. Thus began the construction of his 'Maison des Champs', partly financed by the sale of his paintings. Minister of Culture André Malraux gave the title of 'Musée' to this space in 1969. From 1970 until his death in 1983 Tatin continued building with Lise, and at the same time sold many of his works.

My photos here follow the French guide leaflet to the musée, with my loose translation of it. L'Allée des géants (1967-81) is the intellectual path of Tatin's life from childhood through to the influences of his adulthood. Here there were twenty sculptures, although one (La Fleur) was destroyed by a lorry accidentally backing into it in 1978: Tatin had no wish to replace it, although I photograph the space. My first photo is from bottom to top, in other words from adult influences to childhood ones, although I list the statues from top to bottom here:

At the age of ten, Jeanne d'Arc and Vercingetorix were inspirations; the verbs Etre and Avoir and the choices they entail represent the end of Tatin's childhood as such; Sainte Anne and the Vierge de l’Épine are references to the mystical and the metaphysical concerns prolonging this period of adolescence with three classical questions: where do we come from?, what are we doing?, and where are we going? Le Maître Compagnon, evokes the path chosen by Robert Tatin: that of the builders of cathedrals and the quest for perfection; the second part of the allée belongs to artists of the 19th and 20th centuries who have left their mark on Tatin: André Breton, Le Douanier Rousseau, Gauguin, Seurat, Auguste Rodin, Léonor Fini, Alfred Jarry, Ubu Roi, Toulouse Lautrec, Suzanne Valadon and her son Utrillo, Pablo Picasso and Jules Verne.

La Porte des Géants represents five pillars in the history of art from Tatin's viewpoint. Here are Van Gogh, De Vinci, Goya and Delacroix. At the top, two snakes represent the ups and downs of life, in the centre the Wheel of Fortune.

The Dragon is the guardian of the musée, and of knowledge.

The house (where photography is forbidden) was virtually in ruin on Tatin's buying it in 1962, but completely restored and redecorated by Lise and Robert Tatin. At the time it was surrounded by agricultural land, hence the name 'Maison de Champs'. Tatin lived there for twenty-one years.

Le Jardin de Meditations is the heart of the museum. Around the pond are twelve sculptures representing the months of the year.

Tatin, following his wishes, was buried in front of his house, where a black cube marks his dates.