The Valera Gallery is still there while others have closed. What's the secret to longevity?
Longevity, I don't know. Many galleries have closed, like the Zeller Gallery, which was also at the Foirail, the Larrieu Gallery, or the Charles-Dubernet Gallery. You know, before, artists were more intimate; they didn't like to be disturbed. Now, it's the opposite; they're on social media, they have their own websites, and we go see them. So, little by little, galleries are disappearing in small towns. We'll eventually close; we won't last. We're still holding on because we have a clientele that goes as far as Gers, a bit to the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the Hautes-Pyrénées. There are still 3 or 4% who are interested in art. If I had wanted to expand, I would have gone to Biarritz, I would have gone to tourist spots where there's a concentration of artists and the public.
It's a gallery located between Marcadieu and Foirail!
Yes, I think that's the gallery's little extra. A nice little window display with paintings that brings something new to the table. People come in, take a little tour, and look at the paintings.
And you're still here, after announcing your retirement three years ago!
My daughter-in-law ran the gallery for three years, but she realized it was quite hard and that you really have to have the love because it doesn't bring in thousands of euros, and she moved on to something else. So I came back part-time, maybe until the end of the year. After that, I don't know.
Artist advisor, collector advisor, dealer, or trader. How would you describe yourself?
The role of the gallery owner is to discover new talent and promote it. To have a panel of artists who might interest collectors. We select works by emerging or established artists to present quality works at our regular exhibitions. We meet artists, sometimes surrounded by their teaching staff, who don't necessarily tell them the truth. Taking the works out of the studio and hanging them side by side allows them to see the creations as they haven't necessarily seen them before. But in a small town, you have to know where you stand. You can't specialize; you have to offer a bit of every style and meet demand. We try to attract and represent a few good painters who are local. Some artists like to be represented so they can focus on their creation and offload the business and relationship-building responsibilities onto the gallery owner. And the gallery owner is also a private individual; they need to be able to earn a living from their work.
What are your greatest achievements as a gallery owner?
There aren't really any. At first, you think you've discovered someone. Someone who's self-taught, who has a style, who really has something to say. You can find them, you can exhibit them, but then you don't get any follow-up. I've had some crushes on artists. I remember Yolande Agullo, whom I exhibited at the beginning of the gallery. I really liked the emaciated bodies she created on very basic supports. I fell in love with them so much that I took care of everything, the framing, the display, and everything. In the end, I don't think we sold anything. After all, you can't say that an exhibition in a small town is the catalyst for anything. It remains very local; Toulouse doesn't come, television doesn't come, we only reach local media. The greatest painters don't come to exhibit in small galleries, or if they do, it's because they have affinities. Like Bernard Cadène, who did me the pleasure of exhibiting here.
What are we seeing at Galerie Valera right now?
There are about ten artists. There's Eurgal, François Pellarey, Bernard Cadéne, who is from Toulouse, Yves Duffour from Gers, Pierrick Tual, who is from Brittany, Jérôme Guillet, who is from Nantes, Jean-Michel Cavalli, who comes from Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Lecam, Nathalie Montel from Nîmes, Anne Levy, and Bruno Schmeltz, who is based in La Séoube. There are also sculptures by Trinidad Caminos, an Argentinian artist.
And who will the next exhibition be dedicated to?
It will be from April 18th to May 7th, with Alain-Jacques Lévrier-Mussat and Marie-Christine Juston.
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