From 3 to 7 July 1996, GRATALOUP was featured in a major solo presentation at Art Jonction International, one of the leading contemporary art fairs in France at the time, held at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. The exhibition was organized by Galerie Grey, which then represented the artist in Cannes and throughout the French Riviera.

For this occasion, GRATALOUP presented a selection of works drawn from two significant themes in his oeuvre: The Great Wave and Nudes by the Sea. Through these paintings, the artist explored the perpetual dialogue between humanity and the elemental forces of nature. The sea, a recurring presence in his work, became a space of transformation and contemplation, while the human figure emerged as both participant in and witness to the powerful energies of the natural world.

In the Great Wave paintings, movement, light, and matter combine to evoke the immense and often unpredictable forces that shape both landscapes and inner worlds. In the Nudes by the Sea series, the body becomes part of a broader cosmic and natural order, dissolving the boundaries between figure and environment. These works reveal GRATALOUP’s enduring fascination with metamorphosis, symbolism, and the relationship between the visible world and invisible realities.

The presentation at Art Jonction International was extended through a complementary exhibition at Galerie Grey in Cannes, allowing visitors and collectors to discover a broader selection of the artist’s work in a more intimate setting. Together, these exhibitions strengthened GRATALOUP’s presence on the Côte d’Azur and contributed to the growing recognition of his work among collectors, galleries, and art professionals during the 1990s.