1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 470 A Big Fish Arrived

Arranged by Ines, Ronan and Zoe participated in many activities in the morning, half of which were art-related.

Monaco is an 'elite society' through and through, and art is an integral part of this luxurious backdrop.

This tiny place boasts an even richer artistic atmosphere than historic Provence, with many landmark buildings related to art, such as the Monte Carlo Opera.

The Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix organizing committee has been trying to integrate high-end art into the event for many years in order to establish a distinctive style.

F1 teams are very open to incorporating art, as it can enhance their brand image and style.

After that, the sponsors of this sub-competition all had some connection with art.

During the annual Grand Prix season, Monaco has a unique charm – many sponsors and teams host large-scale art parties before and after the race, a phenomenon jokingly referred to as "F1 Art Week".

Monaco already has a strong artistic atmosphere, and this year, the Monaco royal family held a grand art exhibition during the competition, attracting many art luminaries from home and abroad.

This has made Monaco even more prominent, attracting more art professionals and enthusiasts.

The largest group of these people are naturally the Provençal residents from their own neighborhood.

In other areas, Ronan and Zoe could be described as 'newcomers', always appearing humble to everyone they met.

However, the young couple still has some influence and status in the art world, especially in the Provençal art scene.

At the art event this morning, they ran into several familiar faces from the Provençal art scene.

For example, in a luxury store, I met sculptor Marini, who was there to see an exhibition and was picking out the latest F1-themed figurines for Gabriel.

For example, you might hear at a party that Ms. Sanson, a famous art collector from Provence, has just left to go on a shopping spree at another brand.

But no matter who he meets, Ronan's goal remains the same—to promote his business as much as possible.

"The first characteristic of woven furniture is its naturalness. Every inch of material used is purely natural. Sitting on a chair woven from grapevines, you will feel as if you are lying in a vineyard covering the hillside. Secondly, it is environmentally friendly. Every piece of furniture is biodegradable, and the growth cycle of vine plants is shorter than that of wood. The third advantage is its breathability and comfort. The mesh structure promotes air circulation and avoids stuffiness. I think you have all experienced the embarrassing situation of getting up from a chair in the hot summer and finding your pants soaked with sweat, right?"

Ronan paused, looked at the other group of people, and continued with a smile:

"Especially in the hot Provence, the rattan is flexible and conforms to the body's curves. When paired with cushions, it is not easy to sit for a long time. Woven furniture is also lightweight and flexible, weighing almost half as much as solid wood furniture. If you don't want to use it anymore, you can put it outdoors, which saves a lot of storage space. Most importantly, woven furniture is easy to maintain. After being treated with anti-mildew, it is moisture-resistant and insect-resistant, so you don't have to worry about taking care of it at all."

The day before, Ronan was nobody, only able to join in the conversations of others and find a place where he could fit in so that he could squeeze in a few words.

But today, he and Zoe became the focus of the event.

The biggest change is that Ronan now has the right to start conversations.

When strangers get together and introduce themselves, they usually steer the conversation toward Ronan and Zoe, asking about the specific details of the dinner party or verifying information from today's gossip magazines.

After answering everyone's questions, Ronan skillfully steered the conversation to his various business ventures.

But compared to restaurants and Stella, very few people are interested in woven furniture.

Weaving is a niche art form, and furniture made from it is even more niche.

Therefore, Ronan increased the frequency of mentioning woven furniture.

Fortunately, most of the event's themes revolved around art, so talking about weaving didn't seem out of place—it is, after all, a form of art.

“Woven furniture? I can hardly imagine what it would look like.” At the event, Ronan ran into pianist Eriber, whom he had met the day before in the queuing room.

This guy was very proactive with Ronan and Zoe yesterday, and he's even more so today, standing almost the entire time by Ronan's side and not talking to anyone else.

Ronan introduced Eribel to:
“Didn’t you say you were going to Lourmaran this month to try some authentic Chinese food? I’ll also show you some woven furniture. Our workers are in Lourmaran, and our future flagship store will be there.”

"A flagship store too?" The other person next to Ronan exchanged glances with his friend and joked with a smile, "What, are you going to hold some kind of event in your flagship store, just like luxury brands do?"

The party these people are currently attending is at the flagship store of an international luxury brand in Monaco.

This international luxury brand, which mainly sells leather goods, has transformed its flagship store into a temporary leather museum. Although the promotional slogan is "15th Anniversary Retrospective of XX's Partnership with the Monaco Grand Prix," the actual exhibit showcases the brand's century-long history.

In this day and age, only very high-end brands would refer to a large store as a 'flagship store'. In addition to displaying more samples, the purpose of building a flagship store is also widely recognized as hosting large-scale brand events.

However, the flagship store that sells furniture still sells woven furniture.

Some experienced people find this strange. Are you sure?
Ronan recalled the training Sandrine had given him, saying:
"The Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative not only has its own flagship store, but also a very strict VIP system, which is by invitation only. I can give you a sneak peek: at the end of the year we will be holding a special themed 'launch event' that only 100 customers can attend."

"Really?" Anyone who can appear at this event must be either rich or powerful.

They were naturally aware of the VIP system Ronan had mentioned, and had also heard of special themed launch events, but those were methods used only by very high-end luxury brands.

But this woven furniture of yours
Are you serious, bro?

"Excuse me, if I may ask, what is the approximate price of the furniture sold in this cooperative?" another person politely asked Ronan.

Ronan unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up twice:
"That depends on who made it. Ordinary furniture has the price of ordinary furniture, but if I made it myself..."

He made a shrugging gesture:

“There is probably no limit to that. My team and I have not reached a consensus yet. In the future, we may hold an auction in the flagship store, and all the furniture auctioned will be made by me and another weaving artist.”

Apart from the furniture Ronan made for himself, for Juliet, and for Theo, all the furniture samples he made were quietly displayed in Apte's physical store. Carford deliberately kept them and they were not sold.

Cafu once said that this thing should be kept and allowed to appreciate in value, which Ronan thought was an exaggeration.

How much can it rise?

If someone wanted it, it sold for 3 or 4 francs.

But after this experience in Monaco, and with the upcoming publication of the "Provence Art Guide," Ronan is confident that his sample furniture will be highly sought after by collectors. Moreover, it seems that Ines will be investing more resources in Ronan and Zoe in the future, and their status in the art world may soar to unprecedented heights.

Holding a solo exhibition or auction of one's works at that time will be no problem at all.

Ronan had a good idea; the air was filled with the scent of francs.

But his new friends were a little skeptical.

In fact, more than 80% of people know Ronan and Zoe from rumors or today's gossip magazines, and know very little about their artistic careers, especially those outside of Provence.

They dared not discourage Ronan, offering only perfunctory and insincere compliments.

Ronan smiled sheepishly, not taking it to heart.

"Ronan?!" Suddenly, a startled voice appeared behind them.

Ronan looked up at the sound and immediately strode over to meet him.

I ran into many familiar faces this morning, but this one was the most unexpected for Ronan.

Because he hadn't heard the other person's name for a very, very long time.

“Mr. Rodrigo, you’ve come too?” Ronan extended his hand to greet him.

Indeed, this familiar face was none other than Rodrigo, the Provençal collector who had taken on the 'hope'. Without him, Ronan's desserts might have 'failed' in Gordes.

Rodrigo was also incredibly surprised. From four or five meters away, he bent over, stretched out his hand, and seemed to want to quickly grab Ronan's hand.
"You rascal. I haven't seen you in so long, and I never thought I'd run into you here today."

Ronan awkwardly shook hands with Mr. Rodrigo a few times, wondering how this man could steal his lines.

After the Gold series of events ended, who was it that confidently said they would go to Lourmaran to find me?
I waited and waited and you stood me up, and now it seems like it's my problem?

Rodrigo holds a unique position in the Provençal art world; he is not only a powerful collector but also a super-rich man.

The wealthy man was so powerful that museums, galleries, and art institutions of all sizes had to curry favor with him.

After all, this guy can make those 'trash' items they misjudged become priceless with just a casual snap!
Rodrigo's 'legend' wasn't just spreading in Provence; the guys around Ronan recognized the real 'tycoon' in front of them and greeted him.

But Ronan was the only one in Rodrigo's eyes, and he patted Ronan's arm hard:

"You little rascal, you're not doing your job properly, but making quite a fuss over other things. I saw in the newspaper this morning that you got a photo taken by Princess Grace? Are you going to make a move or not? Let me tell you, 'Lovebirds' is because of Normand's pressure. This time, no matter who I'm competing with, I'm going to fight to the bitter end."

Rodrigo's straightforward approach left Ronan speechless.

I know you're a crazy art collector who wants to own anything good you see, but you can't just ask me for it so bluntly.

He quickly waved his hands to explain:
"Zoe and I will treasure that photo; we won't sell it or send it to auction."

“Oh dear, what a pity, what a pity. I already have eight photos of the Princess in my collection. A few more and I could have filled an album.” Rodrigo muttered a few words, but did not let go of Ronan’s hand. He continued to ask, “What about your works? I haven’t seen your works at any art events in Provence for months. Where are your works, except for Zoe’s?”

Rodrigo was serious when he said he was going to Lourmaran to find Ronan.

But his decision to stand Ronan up was also well thought out.

After the Gold Art event, Rodrigo flew abroad to participate in several exhibitions, returning in March or April.

When he planned to go to Lourmaran to discuss further cooperation with Ronan, he discovered that the guy had disappeared after attending Gold's event.

He didn't participate in any art events, nor did he produce any noteworthy new works.

Rodrigo has very high standards for selecting partners and has met many talented artists. He is worried that Ronan has run out of ideas and has nothing impressive to offer.

Today's unexpected meeting made Rodrigo most eager to find out when Ronan's next work would be released.

That will determine whether their plans continue.

Ronan had already been pressed with a similar question by Ms. Sanson a month ago.

There are many others in Provence eyeing Ronan's next work.
Countless eyes are watching him.

Moreover, after participating in the Monaco Grand Prix, many 'friends' who, like Rodrigo, had forgotten him will surely remember him again.

Ronan gave the same answer he had given to Ms. Sanson:
“I’m so sorry, I’ve been so focused on preparing for my wedding with Zoe lately that I haven’t had any creative inspiration. But I believe that inspiration is just around the corner. I don’t know if you know, but Lourmaran is going to be expanded, and by quite a lot. There will probably be a lot of events held there in the future, and some of them will definitely be related to art. As Lourmaran’s ‘son-in-law,’ I have to attend the events that Lourmaran hosts.”

Ronan's entire foundation is in Lourmaran.

Ronan will definitely benefit from attracting more people to Lourmaran and encouraging them to visit Lourmaran.

Ronan will definitely continue to participate in art events.

But participating outside is nowhere as comfortable and relaxing as participating in Lourmaran.
Blanco said that there will be professional event venues in the expanded area. Lourmaran has so many artists, and holding art events is not something that can be done on a whim.
If his next project is a big 'gimmick,' Ronan is willing to use it to attract even more people.

For example, Ms. Sanson, and Mr. Rodrigo in front of me.

Rodrigo didn't care where the event was held; he only cared about what Ronan's work was.
"Okay, remember to let me know in advance, I have to get your next 'dessert' artwork."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

But Ronan swiftly stopped him, adding:
"I'm making quite a few woven art pieces now, you can take a look with me then."

Ronan's mind was crystal clear: his purpose today was to promote various businesses.

Now that such a big fish as Rodrigo has arrived, how can we let him leave so easily?
(End of this chapter)