THE MANIGLIER FOUNDATION

Unique, such is this cultural place which celebrates the alliance of a local building (an old sugar mill classified as a heritage site in Mauritius) and a work of international importance (that of the painter Maniglier, a former pupil of Matisse): an astonishing foundation which seduces from the very first minute, so much so that the dozens of canvases find, on the old basalt stone walls, an exhibition space which knows how to optimise their colours, their textures, the creativity of their composition.

A centre of life and discussion entirely devoted to the knowledge of art, the foundation is a multi-purpose place made up of a museum, a library that can be used as a conference room, and several dining rooms. One enters through a patio opening onto the ruins, where a swimming pool surrounded by a private garden lies dormant. On the same level, a first volume houses a library lounge, leading to a second space where the gastronomic restaurant Café des Arts is located. This is extended by a small, almost private room (which can be privatized) and a huge terrace. Everywhere, paintings are hung and testify to the evolution and successive artistic influences that permeate Maniglier's work. One can discover the paintings while having a drink with the painter's patron, Jocelyn Gonzalez (private collector, owner of the majority of the paintings) or around a meal based on fresh local products set in a superb tableware specifically designed for the foundation. The volumes, high but on a human scale and never overwhelming, the design of the furniture and accessories, the beauty and diversity of the paintings on display, the raw charm of the old building, give the whole place the exception of a timeless place, a catalyst of emotions.

Open to tourists by reservation, but not for tourists, Victoria 1840 is in line with the most select curiosities of the island: an institution, with a philosophical and pedagogical purpose, reserved for art lovers as well as for people sensitive to a certain form of aesthetic exclusivity.

Who is Maniglier (1923 - 2008)? A descendant of Count Louis Verjus de Crécy (minister plenipotentiary of Louis XIV), Maniglier was born in Burgundy in 1923. She quickly developed a passion for drawing and painting, disciplines for which she had a natural aptitude. In 1950, the United States Stolliard Gallery in Cannes introduced her to Matisse. Seduced by her young talent as a painter, Matisse received her in his studio in Cimiez in Nice and, for more than a year, gave her his precious advice. Maniglier was the last private student of the master. After a period in Rome, Maniglier pursued long studies at the San Marco Academy of Michelangelo in Florence, with the master Primo Conti. The latter taught him the academism of classical art. Maniglier then entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart, where Manfred Henninger opened the way to lyrical abstraction. Enriched by these teachings, the artist then explored different paths, which were expressed in a work with multiple evolutions.

Apart from the foundation, where the artist set up part of his studio during the last years of his life, Maniglier exhibited in the most prestigious international galleries such as the Parker New York, the Salles Royales de la Madeleine, the Grand Palais...

On site, the Café des Arts