« Nothing is lasting » (Gérard)
| It is when a beloved being is lost to us that we feel an overwhelming need to speak of the artist. It is when the artist’s light is extinguished that a new radiance is thrown over the man, over and beyond his life’s work. It is when the man vanishes that we can at last pay tribute to him. |
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Jézebruff Kabradinsky, a lifelong devotee of discretion, mystery and modesty, died on 22 August 2007, leaving in his wake a trail of elusive translucence evocative of an extraordinary being. So any attempt to summarise, in a brief biography, the life of a man for whom “nothing was lasting” would seem an impracticable and even hopelessly idealistic task. This is a man whose very name underwent as many transformations as his artistic career. |
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His name was “Gérard Bridon” when, as a child, he became an enthusiastic angler. He was still Gérard Bridon when, influenced by Brassens and the music of American blues legends like John Lee Hooker and Big Bill Broonzy, he developed a boundless love of music and proved to possess a superb ear for music. He was still Gérard Bridon when he taught himself to play the piano and the guitar… Then he became “Gérard Bretty” when, on leaving Malebranche Art School, he chose to follow an art which claims freedom as its right… |  |
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And on 9 October 1967, this same Gérard Bretty, a free spirit in true Voltairian style, cast his spell over a certain Ghislaine, nicknamed “Didi”, who was to become his lifelong muse and companion. The same year, Gérard appeared in début performances at various cabarets in Saint Germain des Près, he sang at “La Méthode” alongside Coluche and Bernard Lavilliers and at the Bistinguo with Carlos who, like Gérard, was also trying to make his mark in the exclusive world of showbiz. His determination led him to perform as a busker in restaurants such as the “Bastringue Jaune”, at that time a favourite gathering place for the elite of the musical world. |
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1968 was just around the corner and Gérard, at the wheel of his vintage 1950s Buick Roadmaster, was roaming the streets of Paris, performing at all the fashionable cabaret venues. But Gérard did not only channel his passion towards his career; he was in love… and on 6 June 1970 he married Didi and pledged himself to making her happy, a promise he kept until his dying day. For a time, he worked as a pharmaceutical representative … before turning his back for ever on a workaday world intrinsically hostile to artists like himself. |
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Wedded to his muse and inspiration and convinced that he could make his way as an artist, Gérard dedicated his efforts to opening the doors to a musical career in Paris. In 1973, the record label Rideau Rouge brought out his first single as composer, entitled “Summer Days” and performed by David Copperfield. It proved an instant hit and was soon playing on every jukebox. The Compagnons de la Chanson and Tino Rossi quickly recorded a cover version entitled Pluie d’Eté Soleil d’Hiver. |
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And then in 1976, Gérard brought out an album as composer and performer, in collaboration with songwriter Franck Thomas. The album was recorded at Pathé Marconi studios in Paris.
“Gérard Bretty” had arrived. He brought out a successful single the following year and an album entitled “Sales mes baskets” which he wrote and composed for Philippe Dalecky. |
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His artistic career blossomed, and in 1974 Gérard moved from Paris to the country where he could compose in peace surrounded by the wide open spaces and beauty of the countryside and also indulge in his favourite sports of hunting and fishing in a quiet haven far removed from the stress and bustle of the business world. Disillusioned and disenchanted by the world of showbiz, in 1979 he decided to take off for the Marquesas Islands with Didi, taking with him only a holdall, his guitar and a thirst for new horizons. |
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“We must live in the present, give ourselves over utterly to the contemplation of nature” (Gérard) |
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Escaping to the Marquesas Islands was not just an opportunity to explore new frontiers but also to discover in himself a new medium of artistic expression. Gérard was a man hungry for new experiences and passionate about learning new things and the diversity and exotic beauty of the places he visited, from Hiva Oa to Fatu Hiva, not forgetting Nuku Hiva, offered an ideal setting for his personal and artistic development. |  |
| So he followed in the footsteps of Brel and Gauguin, steeped himself in local culture, dedicated much time to the fabrication of tapa cloths, made a close study of Marquesas designs and drawings and gradually developed an intense fascination for the art of the Pacific which inspired his paintings until the day he died.
After living in the Marquesas Islands for six months, the couple journeyed in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. A short stay in Paris convinced the artist that this was no place for him and he never returned to the city. |
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A few months later, their love for Polynesia took the couple to Moorea where the artist built his own outrigger canoe and a fish reserve and also gave himself over to underwater hunting, fishing, sculpture and painting. |  |
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But just as Gérard the artist was constantly in search of new directions, Gérard the man was always attracted to new places. His next destination was New Zealand, followed by travels in Thailand where, in his constant quest for beauty, Gérard became fascinated by Burmese artworks, collected many fine agates and other ancient stones and created a number of magnificent necklaces. |
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In 1990, the couple finally succumbed to the charm of New Caledonia. The artist had found a haven in which to settle down and paint. |
“I strive to transpose in painterly terms the universal beauty of engraved bamboos, combining draughtsmanship, medium and colour”.(Jezebruff Kabradinsky)Gérard was fascinated by the Noumea Museum and particularly captivated by the graphic style and technique of the engraved bamboos. He created a pioneering technique of printmaking, developed gradually by melding uniqueness, originality and the innovative use of materials. And so Gérard Bretty became Jézebruff Kabradinsky. |
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His work was initially sold in the form of fabric prints on numbered tee-shirts, each series restricted to one hundred impressions signed by the artist, but the artist quickly moved on to the medium of Arches vellum. Using his own unique painting techniques, blending the primitive and the contemporary, infusing the essence of exoticism and specificity into each of his works, this master of colour brought Kanak art to art lovers the world over. That Kanak Great Chief Pierre Zéoula should present one of his works to the French President in July 2003, during an official visit to New Caledonia, was ample proof of the artist’s achievement. |
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| He was born Gérard Bridon, he became Gérard Bretty under the spotlights and ended as Jézebruff Kabradinsky, sheltering in the shadow of his paintings. Nevertheless, in spite of the artist’s retiring modesty and seeming mystery, he remained a profoundly lovable man who exercised a natural attraction over people he met and got to know, or to be more precise, who got to know him. |
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“It is not time that matters, it is the quality of your life” (Gérard)
Jézebruff Kabradinsky became ill in 2004 but was determined to live his last years to the utmost and to paint until his dying breath, weaving his magic with the power of light, his creative medium and the imaginary. “He was a fighter, someone who never gave up in his quest for life, beauty and love” (Didi) |
“Life is an immense stage, we play out our own lives, each of us must play his role. I have finished playing mine, now you must go ahead with yours”. (Gérard) |
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His love for his muse surpassed even his passion for art. He taught Didi all his techniques, passed on to her all the knowledge needed to create his works, making his wife the sole heir of an art whose flame should never dwindle. Thus, as the ultimate proof of his love for her, Jézebruff Kabradinsky left to his wife not only a remarkable artistic heritage but, above all, a sacred trust of continuity, the essence of commitment.
It is when a beloved being is lost to us that we feel an overwhelming need to speak of the artist. It is when the artist’s light is extinguished that a new radiance is thrown over the man, over and beyond his life’s work. And it is in the radiant light of his work that the artist shall live on.
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