Archives - Picasso and Chagall - César and Baldwin - Aimé Maeght - Prévert, Picasso and Yoyo

Frankly incredible this photo: The writer James Baldwin and the sculptor César.

Jimmy had chosen Saint Paul de Vence to live and work. He spent every day at the Colombe d'Or, chatting with Yvonne Roux. His bursts of laughter still resonate in my mind.

James Baldwin, born in 1924 in a segregationist America, a gifted child, he chose, among all his talents, to devote himself to writing. Very quickly, his writings tackle homosexuality, bisexuality but also identity and racism. A great teacher, he debates tirelessly on television sets to explain to white people the consequences of racism. On July 2, 1964, thanks to the work of civil rights activists, American President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, a law prohibiting racial discrimination and segregation. A few days later, on July 28, 1964, Jimmy was present at the inauguration of the Maeght Foundation, honored by my grandfather, in the same way as the great artists of the 20th century. And César remains one of the artists who definitively placed Saint Paul in the adventure of art.