Strongly involved in the cultural enhancement and development of the territory, Groupe Charlois aims to create a unique set of art works, in connection with the forest, to present it to the greatest number.
The fourth postcard of the series « The Forest in Nivernais » shows a group of splitters working in the forest as it used to be.
Several historical sources confirm that Eugène Charlois (son, grandson, brother and nephew of stave splitters) began his wood-making business in Murlin in 1928.
The third postcard of the series « The forest in Nivernais » features a group of three women weighed down with dead wood. The photograph was taken in Beaumont-la-Ferrière, a village bordering the Bertranges forest.
Specialized in the stave split for two centuries, Charlois family has since been constantly promoting the french oaks, including oaks from Bertranges forest, and their priceless forest heritage.
La Grange exhibition space showcases the art of cooperage but also the art of stave mill, through the presentation of works from Charlois collections. This exhibition immerses the visitor in the heart of the cooper’s universe and its immutable gestures, while emphasizing the importance of interactions between the barrel and its content, between oak and grapes.
The second postcard of the series « The Forest in Nivernais » shows a woodcutter practicing a directional cut on a tree in the Bertranges forest. This action, consisting of making a kind of pivot hinge, allows the woodcutter to guide the tree in its fall.
The series of postcards « The Forest in Nivernais », published in 1903 by the folklorist poet Achille Millien, immersed us into the heart of the Bertranges forest to discover centuries-old practices of woodworkers and picturesque scenes of everyday life.
Engaged for several months in a process of cultural and heritage enhancement, Groupe Charlois called on the expertise of Guillaume Tozer, cultural engineer, to accompany its projects.
Inaugurated on the occasion of the 2017 edition of the ONF’ (French National Forestry Office) Nevers fall sale, Groupe Charlois’ first exhibition in La Grange presents an exceptional collection.
