"I try to surprise myself!": in Le Lavandou, Pascal Légitimus exhibits his photos and his passion... for shells

It is a long-standing fascination of Pascal Légitimus, born when he observed shells on the beaches, around the age of twelve. "I was fascinated by their colors and shapes," says the artist who began by composing small paintings with them on the sand. Through contact with shell sellers from distant islands, such as the Seychelles or the Maldives (a practice less tolerated today), and conchologists, Pascal Légitimus learned and discovered the extent and diversity of shell-bearing mollusks.

He gradually built up a collection of 250 specimens and then photographed them in situ with a film camera, for his own pleasure. His friends then noticed prints at his home, appreciated his work and encouraged him to continue and exhibit. "Under the request, I created a concept to develop my photos and send them to homes via a website." This was followed by a first exhibition in December 2023 in Roanne (Loire), an exhibition in the Var at Six-Four-les-Plages in January 2025 as well as an auction of three paintings at Drouot, Pascal Légitimus notably producing prints on canvas. And so, at the moment, in Le Lavandou.

"There, it's me who creates the work"

At first, it was a passion, not a job. For the artist and actor, who was known as a comedian with the sketches of Les Inconnus or through the camera, this approach is quite personal. "When I perform a play, a film, or a TV movie, someone brings me a work and I interpret it. Here, it's me who creates the work and then there's a sharing; it's the opposite system."

The photographer stages shells by using the diversity of the seasons to create sometimes abstract settings, which form colored flat tints in relation to or in contrast with the variety of tones of the specimens that interest him. The colors are saturated, highlighting the graphic aspect of the shells. To compose textured settings, Pascal Légitimus also focuses his attention on unusual materials, such as the cottony scraps of a poplar or the frosted surface of a trash can, transformed into green, brown and bubbly shapes...

Many projects to come

This photographic exhibition of shells is far from the last: another is planned for a gallery in Sète in September. The photographs will then travel to numerous coastal towns: Deauville, Toulouse, La Rochelle... And this won't be the artist's only project.

Cinema, theater, books, Pascal Légitimus loves it all. He even plays Inspector Slimane in a photo novel by director Antonin Peretjatko. Published on May 23 (Seuil), this Blake and Mortimer- style detective story attempts to solve a burglary in a museum of old dung... "I try to surprise myself or be present, not to sink into an actor's routine," he says.

Next year, he would like to direct a film. Before that, he will continue to star in Duplex , a comedy directed by Didier Caron, currently touring for 55 dates. He also stars in a new film by Antonin Peretjatko and wrote the preface to the book La bible des inconnus , both expected in October. He will also be seen in Le Bémol , a play recorded by France Télévision and broadcast by the end of the year.

Exhibition visible on the seafront promenade, in Lavandou.

"This region has become important to me"

Familiar with the region, Pacal Légitimus also maintains a special connection to it. When he contracted a bone disease at the age of two, his parents sent him to San Salvador Hospital in Hyères. He remained there until he was four. "I was all alone in a bed facing the sun," he recalls. "I didn't speak much, but I observed. My acting career also stems from that, from observing people and reproducing what I see." His father later became a counselor at a holiday village near the Giens Peninsula. For four years, the family lived in La Capte in Hyères. "Gradually, this region became quite important to me. With Les Inconnus, we also went there on vacation to reflect..."