Alice Jousset’s “Fantasy Menagerie” Invades Café-sur-Cour in Nantes
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Forget tame watercolors and predictable wildlife scenes.Nantes-based painter Alice Jousset is unleashing a vibrant and untamed “Fantasy Menagerie” at Café-sur-Cour, Place Louis Daubenton, until February 27, 2026. This exhibition isn’t about depicting animals as they are, but as they feel – intensely, strangely, and beautifully alive.
A Riot of Color and Life
Jousset’s thirty paintings reject the conventional. Whales aren’t rendered in placid blues, birds explode with acidic hues, and fish meet yoru gaze with unwavering intensity.Her work isn’t about decoration; it’s about inhabitation. The creatures swarm and pulse with a life force that reminds viewers of the raw, interesting, and sometimes unsettling nature of the animal kingdom. As critic Gérard Manset once sang, “Animal, we are bad,” but at Jousset’s exhibition, the message is transformed: animal, we are alive.
Jousset paints with a visceral energy, as if breathing life directly onto the canvas. her bestiaries don’t simply represent animals; they are animals, existing with a captivating intensity.
Café-sur-Cour: The Perfect Setting
The exhibition finds its home at Café-sur-Cour,a bistro in the Mellinet district known for its welcoming atmosphere and embrace of the arts. Located at 9 place louis Daubenton, 44100 Nantes, the café, managed by Nicolas, Pauline, and Florence, provides a fittingly unconventional space for Jousset’s work. it’s a place where art doesn’t require hushed reverence or formal settings.
Situated near the Butte Sainte-Anne, the Machines de l’Île, and within easy reach of the city center, Café-sur-Cour offers a unique ambiance. It’s a haven from the city’s luminous lights, a place to enjoy a drink and experience something truly engaging. The exhibition isn’t meant to be a silent viewing experience; it’s designed to coexist with the café’s everyday life – the clinking of cups, the murmur of conversations, and the energy of a lively space.
Experience the menagerie
“Fantasy Menagerie” offers a two-month opportunity to confront these untamed creatures and remember that true art doesn’t politely ask for your attention; it demands it. It’s an immersive experience where the art looks back at you with the same intensity you bring to it.
“Fantasy Menagerie” – Alice Jousset
January 5 – February 27, 2026
Café-sur-Cour,
9 place Louis Daubenton. 44100 Nantes, 02.40.73.10.62
FREE ENTRANCE.
Learn more about Alice Jousset and her work at her website.