While we returned today from our oyster lunch downtown in The Halles of Sète, we passed the graveyard and I was thinking about one of the most famous artists of Sète, singer and poet George Brassens. He was born here in Sète in 1921, died in 1981. Singing and playing guitar, he often mentioned Sète. For example “Bury me on the beach at Sete”. His songs were about friendship, love, death, hypocrisy, small-mindedness … in fact about those favorite subjects for many artists. Sète still gives a lot of attention to Brassens. There is an Espace Brassens where visitors can listen to Brassens through headphones while he guides the visitors through the city and his work.

Sète was and is still favorite by several artists by birth or by choice of living here: Paul Valéry, Jean Vilar, Maurice Clavel, Hervé Di Rosa, Robert Combas, Pierre François, André Cervera, François Liguori, Pierre Soulages, François Desnoyer, Agnès Varda, Daniel Deleuze … Google them to learn know more about them.

One of them, Hervé di Rosa -still alive!! I want to give extra attention as our house in Sète has a very special and very large piece of art made by him and one of the most famous French mosaicist, David Dalichoux. The mosaic is totally made out of broken pieces of Murano glass, is about 10 meter wide and 2.5 meter high. During summer, the water of the pool runs over the full mosaic like a waterfall, giving it some extra brightness which is difficult to describe. Also in the city of Sète you can find several pieces from the hand of Hervé di Rosa. All in colors that make you feel good and “Mediterranean”.