Pine trees silhouetted against a fuchsia sky, a pale moon above the Arcachon Bay, a pink sun melting into the ocean. From Thursday 3 to Saturday 5 December, Bordeaux painter Adèle Bartherotte presents Oasis, a new series of gouache landscapes, at 19 allées de Chartres. Just three days, free entry, and an opening night on the Thursday evening: the perfect way to treat yourself to a burst of light in the middle of December.
From graphic design to painting
Adèle Bartherotte grew up in a family where drawing and making things were part of everyday life. She graduated top of her year in graphic design and art direction at the ECV school, then spent ten years in Paris as an art director before moving back to Bordeaux, her home town. It was after the birth of her children that painting took over again, this time as an obvious choice: she made it her personal and professional project.
Since then, people in Bordeaux have learned to recognise her landscapes. Near the Parc Bordelais, on the cours de Verdun or in the Chartrons, her successive exhibitions have built a direct bond with her audience, extended by social media and studio visits. Her paintings appeal as much to seasoned collectors as to people who never imagined buying a work of art.
Painting the feeling of a place
The Arcachon Bay, Cap Ferret, a few echoes of Brittany: the places in Oasis are intimate memories, but Adèle does not try to reproduce them faithfully. She paints the feeling of a place rather than the place itself, ending up with an open landscape in which everyone can find their own memory of holidays, light or the seaside.
I think I have been painting the same thing forever, and I never tire of it.
Adèle Bartherotte
Her method comes down to three moves. Colour first: no white or neutral beige, she prepares her okoumé wood panels or boards with bold flat colours, fuchsia pink or pale blue, which spark the scene. Then gouache, her faithful companion, with its matt finish once dry. And finally instinct: no preparatory drawing, and irregularities she deliberately leaves visible. The grain of the wood, the reworkings and the traces of the brush are all part of the painting.
What you will see
The collection unfolds in several families. Pine silhouettes and dense undergrowth crossed by blue trunks. Twilight skies in pinks, coral, lilac and orange. Sea horizons and reflections on the water, in intense blues and turquoise. And dunes and paths opening towards the sea, dotted with pale or pink celestial bodies. Formats range from a small 60 x 32 cm panel to a large 120 x 80 cm diptych.
What strikes you is the joy in these colours. Lively, sensitive painting, accessible without being easy, a reminder that the landscapes we love are often the ones in our heads as much as the ones in front of us. Making painting accessible to people who did not think art was for them is also one of the artist's stated ambitions.
The opening night, Thursday 3 December
The exhibition is curated and presented by Marine Jouanneau of the BEYBO agency. The opening night is on Thursday 3 December from 6.30pm, a chance to meet the artist and see the works on the very first evening. Can't make it on Thursday? The exhibition stays open all day on Friday and on Saturday morning. But be quick: it closes on Saturday at 12.30pm.
To follow her work, head to @bartherotteadele on Instagram, and @agencebeybo for the agency.
Oasis, an exhibition by Adèle Bartherotte
Venue: 19 allées de Chartres, 33000 Bordeaux
Thursday 3 December 2026: opening night from 6.30pm to 9pm
Friday 4 December: 10am to 8pm
Saturday 5 December: 9.30am to 12.30pm
Free entry
Exhibition presented by Marine Jouanneau, BEYBO agency