MUSEE LA PISCINE AT ROUBAIX

Hello.  Here is the  first article from my trip to Lille, in northern France. Pauline Conolly helped me, but not very much. Dr Bob Conolly  took the photographs.  I hope you like our work. Editor Des.  xxx

IN THE BEGINNING

In 1932 an architect from Lille called Monsieur Albert Baert built a most fabulous  municipal swimming pool in the nearby town of Roubaix.  It was the best  complex in the whole of France, an Art Deco treasure. Next door to the baths was an old textile mill, and today these two buildings house a very special museum.

It only costs 5 euros  to get in. They put a little sticker  on your hand with the day of the week  on it, so you can’t sneak in for free  next day.  My paw was too furry  for it to stick though.

Oddly enough, the  original  swimming pool was left in place, and is surrounded by sculptures. Some famous artists are represented,  such as Rodin, Joffre and Bugatti. I’ve only heard of Rodin to be honest.  The crowning glory of this part is Ms Baert’s superb fan window. The glass  has radiating  shades of golden yellow, like the rising  sun.

All the little shower cubicles and dressing rooms  now contain collections of ceramics,  textiles,  jewellery and items of fashion; including  avant-garde clothes and accessories. In the upstairs galleries there are  showcases  of textile pattern books.  Pauline said some of the designs reminded her of William Morris.

SOME SPECIAL PAINTINGS

We  spent quite a while looking  at all these things and then we walked around lots of other rooms to see the paintings. Pauline loved the  picture below because she used to be a cow herder when she was little (yes, truly!) . She wanted me to sit down with her and study it .  So I did;

The first thing I noticed was that  Pauline  was wearing similar clothes to the girl in the painting. That’s a bit weird don’t you think?

My favourite artwork  was what  is called an installation. The artist Monsieur Daniel Marteau must have a very interesting brain!  His work  is called Girafe Observant une Taupe. That is French, and means  ‘giraffe observing a mole’. Ha ha…how on earth  did he think that up??

Do you know what? Moles are  grey-brown  so that’s where the colour  called taupe comes from!

Of all the paintings in the museum  Pauline said she liked one called La Tasse Bleue (The Blue Cup)  the best. It’s by Jules Boquet, who died in 1932.

There was another interesting one with ladies working in a woolen mill. Pauline worked in one once….she has  had a very chequered background! She told me the ladies were getting the wool ready for weaving.  Sorry, I forgot to write down who painted this one.

Dr Bob sneaked off and later we found out he had taken a picture of a naked lady!  Pauline looked a bit annoyed.  Dr Bob said  the lady was about to go swimming, so that’s why she didn’t have any clothes on. I think she was just showing off, though!

There is a very nice tearoom and a  restaurant  with a terrace and  a garden, but we had eaten too much at the market in Lille that morning.  Instead, we  sat on the big stone ‘seats’ in the courtyard  and ate some fruit.

GOODBYE MUSEE LA PISCINE

When people leave the museum they take off their stickers and put them on the gate, so Pauline and Dr Bob did it too.  It’s sort of vandalism, but not really because the gate looks like a work of art;

One day someone might steal the gate and enter it in a competition, or auction it off.  I really enjoyed my visit to the Piscine Museum.   It was our landlady in Lille who told us to go there, so thank you dear Monique.   If you would like to leave me a message, write in the box underneath here, then do the little sum.  See you again soon, Editor Des. xxx