Don't miss the "EDMOND BARRIAL" exhibition, from April 07 to April 26, 2026 at the Musée d'Art Brut in Montpellier.
Edmond Barrial, aka "Momon", was born in Mas Masseboeuf in the commune of Le Martinet in 1926, in the heart of the Auzonnet valley, in the Alès coalfield at the entrance to the Cévennes. Edmond, an only child, suffered from a serious invalidating disease that prevented him from walking. He was unable to attend school. His grandmother and three neighbors took turns teaching him to read and write. From an early age, he made all kinds of small wooden objects.
After the death of his mother when he was only seventeen, and his health improving, he was forced to work as an underground miner, but couldn't stand the working conditions - damp, dusty, confined - and was redirected to the post of lamp maker. When he retired, at the age of forty-seven, he devoted all his time, "every day, for hours on end", to making objects, birds, tanks, planes, famous people (Laurel and Hardy, John Wayne, Elvis Presley?), fashioned from chestnut or pear wood that he collected in the mountains. Most of these sculptures were inspired by his imagination, tales, legends and popular culture.
During his lifetime, he worked in his studio far from the city. No one shared the secrets of his labor, and neither family nor friends recognized his value. A passionate self-taught artist constantly battling anxiety and depression, Edmond is one of those singular artists on the frontiers of art brut.
His "unschooled" work, imbued with extraordinary density and ingenuity, remained imprisoned and was never officially presented. He died in 2012 in his native Saint-Florent sur Auzonnet.
Tip: Free admission to the Musée d'Art Brut with the Tourist Office City Card!
Closed Mondays, Tuesdays and public holidays.
Edmond Barrial, aka "Momon", was born in Mas Masseboeuf in the commune of Le Martinet in 1926, in the heart of the Auzonnet valley, in the Alès coalfield at the entrance to the Cévennes. Edmond, an only child, suffered from a serious invalidating disease that prevented him from walking. He was unable to attend school. His grandmother and three neighbors took turns teaching him to read and write. From an early age, he made all kinds of small wooden objects.
After the death of his mother when he was only seventeen, and his health improving, he was forced to work as an underground miner, but couldn't stand the working conditions - damp, dusty, confined - and was redirected to the post of lamp maker. When he retired, at the age of forty-seven, he devoted all his time, "every day, for hours on end", to making objects, birds, tanks, planes, famous people (Laurel and Hardy, John Wayne, Elvis Presley?), fashioned from chestnut or pear wood that he collected in the mountains. Most of these sculptures were inspired by his imagination, tales, legends and popular culture.
During his lifetime, he worked in his studio far from the city. No one shared the secrets of his labor, and neither family nor friends recognized his value. A passionate self-taught artist constantly battling anxiety and depression, Edmond is one of those singular artists on the frontiers of art brut.
His "unschooled" work, imbued with extraordinary density and ingenuity, remained imprisoned and was never officially presented. He died in 2012 in his native Saint-Florent sur Auzonnet.
Tip: Free admission to the Musée d'Art Brut with the Tourist Office City Card!
Closed Mondays, Tuesdays and public holidays.