The reassembly of the works stored in the reserves of the town hall of Châtillon-Coligny, allowed David Massol-Mouhli, manager of the works of the department, to highlight some of them. Among the most remarkable, a painting by Gaëtan Jean Commergnat, a painter from the town.
Cullion Street Homeowner
Born in Saint-Fargeau, in the Yonne, in 1867, Gaëtan Jean Commergnat was a pupil of the painters Georges Moteley and Charles Hermann-Léon. Residing at the time in Troyes (Aube), he presented several works at the Winter Salon in 1909 and a painting at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1910.
In 1931, a bulletin from the emulation society of Montargis indicates that Gaëtan Jean Commergnat is installed as an artist-painter in Châtillon-Coligny. He has owned a house on rue Cullion since 1930. This street, from the Saint-Pierre church to the “salt loft”, is currently recognized as a street that has hosted many artists.
Today, there are many works by this painter exhibited in different cities. For example, the table Raptor attacking a rooster hangs on the picture rails of the museum-castle of Nemours (Seine-et-Marne), and a canvas representing a bouquet of Japanese chrysanthemums was sold in 2020 at the Montauban auction house.
Regarding the painting held by the municipality of Châtillon-Coligny, it will be exposed very soon so that the administration can discover it. It should find its place in the hall, to the right of the staircase going up to the Humbert-Baddition room (party hall on the first floor of the town hall).
Where was hung a copy of the self-portrait of Henri Gaudier-Brzeska made by the children of the extracurricular activity time, in 2014. A work which should soon be visible again, in another place, the municipal library.
