Jean Paul Blachère
Jean-Paul Blachère was born in Apt and studied in the school Benoît de l’ Isle sur la Sorgue. He took over his father’s company, which was at that time specialized in lighting and sound system. Jean-Paul Blachère transformed the company, developed it and made it become an integrated part of the worldwide economic system.
Blachère Illuminations has become the European leader in urban light decorations. For instance, he was the one who took care of the lighting of the Tour Eiffel when we were about to move to the 21st century.
The company directly employs 100 persons and distributes work to 300 other persons either in the scope of subcontracting or, at the height of the season, in Apt and in its surroundings. The company is rooted at the local level and its development takes place at the global level. Even if it is opened to the world, it remains a company of human dimension and does not lose its soul because of its transcontinental practice. This gives birth to its humanistic project.
For about thirty years Jean-Paul Blachère has been travelling and making exchanges in Africa and in many other places of the rest of the world. He himself and his company develop actions in partnership in order to favour the economic expansion of this continent. So far, they have been working in six different directions investing 200 000 euros a year on average:
- transport of medical equipment to support medical teams.
- school equipment in partnership with an NGO.
- promotion of African design in joint venture in partnership with Terres d'Ebène
- building up of a collection of African works of contemporary art.
- spreading of the African culture through Vaucluse and especially through schools by means of an association law 1901 (African Actions).
- welcome of African artists in artistic residences within the company.
Jean-Paul Blachère and his company have made the decision to structure their different actions, to perpetuate them and to give them an imposing identity thanks to the creation of a foundation which falls within the scope of the company: Jean-Paul Blachère’s Foundation for African and Worldwide Contemporary Art.
