In 1997, Dominique Baudis, mayor of Toulouse, wished one day to remodel the Place du Capitole.
Various works were undertaken and in particular, on the forecourt, the realization of a Cross of Languedoc, work of Raymond Moretti, poster artist, painter, sculptor, world-renowned.
But what will remain in history is the Galerue des Arcades.
Indeed, in 29 paintings, the artist has retraced the history of Toulouse and the Toulouse people.
From the Venus of Lespugue to aeronautics and space, via the Crusades, Carlos Gardel, Claude Nougaro and the Toulouse Stadium... Nothing extraordinary, some would say, except for the talent of the author.
If it is not also that these works, enlarged, silk-screen printed, are hung on the ceiling of the arcades of the Capitol Square.
To see them, to admire them, you have to look up... frankly.
Under each painting, there is an enameled explanatory plaque with the name and a commentary on the theme depicted.
As a precaution, three copies of each of these works, exhibited outdoors, have been made. The originals, property of the city, and the silkscreen prints are preciously preserved in the Paul Dupuy Museum.
Galerue des Arcades
Capitol Square
31000 Toulouse
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