From June 7, 2015 to January 6, 2016, a major exhibition dedicated to GRATALOUP was presented at the Espace 3 Lacs in Nantua, on the occasion of the inauguration of his monumental mosaic, The Spirit of the Lake, installed along the shores of Lake Nantua near the town’s Tourist Office.

This achievement marked the culmination of a cultural and human adventure that had begun more than a decade earlier. In November 2003, while working in his studio in Chevreuse, GRATALOUP was contacted by a journalist from Nantua who proposed reconnecting him with his birthplace through an ambitious project to create a foundation dedicated to his work. The initiative was led by industrialist and patron Hervé Vion Delphin, whose commitment quickly generated widespread enthusiasm.

A support committee was soon established, bringing together prominent figures from the worlds of culture, business, and public life, including Jacques Rigaud, Michel Tournier, Jacques Julliard, Paul Lombard, Miguel Sieler, Pierre Richard, and several close friends of the artist. Among them was Denis Sloan, who produced the first architectural sketches for the proposed foundation. A fundraising campaign was launched to secure the resources needed to bring the project to life.

The following year, Bruno Pellegrini, Mayor of Port and President of the Lake Nantua Community of Municipalities, joined the initiative and became an important supporter of the project.

Despite the dedication of numerous local and national stakeholders, the foundation was ultimately never realized. Its abandonment was a profound disappointment for all those involved, and particularly for GRATALOUP, who remained deeply attached to his native region. The artist often expressed his regret that Nantua had missed the opportunity to create what he envisioned as an ideal cultural route, linking the historic Abbey of Saint-Michel, the exceptional natural landscape of the Haut-Bugey, the monumental work of sculptor Marcel Leygue, his former teacher, and a contemporary art foundation devoted to his own artistic and urban creations.

The funds that had been raised were nevertheless put to meaningful use. They made possible the creation of The Spirit of the Lake, a large-scale mosaic conceived by GRATALOUP as a tribute to Nantua, its lake, and all those who had contributed to the foundation project. The work was inaugurated in the presence of local elected officials, residents, regional representatives, and the many supporters who had participated in this collective adventure.

To accompany the inauguration, an exhibition was organized in the newly developed premises of the Tourist Office overlooking the lake. GRATALOUP presented a series of paintings inspired by Nantua and its lake, a landscape that had remained a constant source of inspiration throughout his life. The deep waters, surrounding mountains, and changing light of the Haut-Bugey region are transformed into poetic and symbolic compositions infused with memory, emotion, and personal reflection.

Through this exhibition, the artist returned to the landscapes of his childhood and reaffirmed the enduring bond that united him to his birthplace. More than a simple presentation of artworks, the event became the symbolic conclusion of a collective undertaking that had spanned more than ten years and a gesture of gratitude toward all those who had believed in the creation of a major cultural institution dedicated to his work.

Today, the Espace 3 Lacs exhibition remains one of the most moving moments in GRATALOUP’s career, marking both his artistic homecoming to Nantua and the lasting presence of his work within the landscape and memory of his native town.