One of the best known (and loved) local personalities has died

Andre Laban at work

We are lucky enough to have met Andre Laban, who died this week aged 89, on a number of occasions and to possess one of his underwater paintings.
Andre, from Marseille, worked for many years with Jacques Cousteau who was world famous for his underwater films. He said he simply asked Cousteau for a job and was asked to prepare the cameras for the filming. Later he became part of the camera crew himself and eventually an accomplished photographer, painter and poet. In his retirement in St Antonin he collaborated with Tim Grosvenor in his gallery to present his photographs (his "One man chauve" was a witty collection of photographic puns on his own lack of hair), his paintings and his book and DVD "la Passion du Bleu".

Underwater painting by Andre Laban

We bought one of the beautiful blue paintings which always reminds us of those days of more than 10 years ago when Tim and other local artists tried to make St Antonin a centre for art, which Andre Laban supported wholeheartedly, and remained its most accomplished creator.
For an appreciation of his life and work, including live footage of him working, click to the Depeche du Midi page https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/occitanie/tarn-et-garonne/montauban/andre-laban-realisateur-peintre-ancien-bras-droit-du-commandant-cousteau-est-decede-saint-antonin-noble-val-1556158.html