PORTRAITS

Daniel Rocher

There’s only one step from cosmetics to art

“For me, an incomer to Provence is someone who wanders the region for inspiration.”

Avec la complicité de Clotilde Roux

I was born into the Rocher family and created the Daniel Jouvance brand which sold beauty products based on marine active ingredients sourced from plankton. I have always been very close to the marine world and the people involved in it, sailing the globe for years and organising many scientific expeditions, sometimes in dangerous places. I have a very adventurous streak but I had to take a step back from my frantic lifestyle after a heart attack. I stood down from most of my business activities to devote myself to my family and my passion for sculpture. I slowed down my pace of life and my overactive brain and let my artistic side come to the fore. In July 1989 we moved to Provence to find somewhere more relaxed that was more conducive to our well-being and creativity. The energy and light are extraordinary here. The sounds, the scents, the light, the warm climate… there’s no place like it to indulge the senses and it’s a constant source of inspiration. I looked for somewhere to house some of the family collection, my own work and that of my daughters, and to have artist friends to stay. All I want is love, friendship and art, nothing more and nothing less. This sums up my outlook on life and attitude to others. Since 2019 this nineteenth century château and its untouched grounds have provided the perfect place to share with others, an open-air art gallery. We’ve installed some crazy contemporary pieces in every room of the château and in the garden. I’ve found complete fulfilment in this new, rather unusual venture. I love to meet and chat with artists and showcase their work. I’d like to take it one step further by building a new 600m² gallery with links to a Paris equivalent. My ambition is to create a major art and culture hub in the region, but without letting the day-to-day management aspects overshadow my passion.