Henri François Bataille
Wood and sculpture
With wood and chisel, Henri gives shape to sculptures and furnishings in which matter becomes gesture, volume and story: the mark of a hand that knows its craft.
Cannigione · Gallura
Casa Bataille
One house. Two artists. A story to walk through.
«Atelier Henri & Maryse Bataille»: where art became life.
18 August – 24 September 2026 Free admission, by reservation
There are places that speak to the heart.
Places where individual memory becomes collective memory, and the intimacy of a home turns into cultural heritage.
The story
A home where art was everyday life
This is the house in Cannigione where Henri François Bataille and Maryse Pardi lived, worked and created for over fifty years.
Coming from the South of France and shaped as artists in the extraordinary season of Vallauris — an international crossroads of art and ceramics in the post-war years — Henri and Maryse arrived in Sardinia in 1963. They chose this land as a place to live, create and put down roots.
Here they turned their home into a true artist’s workshop, where sculpture, cabinetmaking, ceramics and decoration were in daily dialogue. Every room became part of the creative process; every object kept the imprint of their hands.
During his years in Vallauris, Henri François Bataille was commissioned by the Artists’ Committee to create a sculpture-casket for Pablo Picasso’s eightieth birthday — a testament to the extraordinary artistic climate in which he had trained. Soon after, he would take part in the birth of the Costa Smeralda, contributing to the creation of the Hotel Cala di Volpe, while Maryse continued to give form to her own poetics through ceramics, opening her studio in Cannigione.
Within these rooms were born sculptures, furniture, ceramics, decorative panels and works that today are part of the artistic memory of Cannigione and of Gallura.
This opening was born from the wish to share an artistic and human heritage that, until now, has remained kept within these walls. An invitation not only to look at works, but to meet two lives devoted to art.
The artists
Two hands, one same material
Maryse Pardi
Earth and colour
With earth and colour, Maryse models ceramics and panels in which the everyday becomes a living surface: glazes, textures and hues that speak of the light of Gallura.
“The same passion for matter, expressed in different languages: wood and sculpture for Henri, earth and colour for Maryse.”
The works
Born within these rooms
A heritage that belongs to the artistic memory of Cannigione and of Gallura.
An exceptional opening
From 18 August to 24 September 2026
For the first time, the house of Henri and Maryse will open its doors to the public. Not to become a museum, but to offer a rare experience: to step, with respect and on tiptoe, into the place where art was part of everyday life.
For over fifty years this house has watched works come to life, kept dreams, welcomed friends, artists and travellers. The visits, reserved for small groups and by reservation, will be an invitation to walk through not only rooms, but a story made of love, creativity and memory.
- Period18 Aug – 24 Sep 2026
- DaysTuesdays & Fridays
- AdmissionFree
- GroupsMaximum 8
- DurationAbout 45 minutes
Because some houses do not simply keep works. They keep a life.
Today it is Casa Bataille that tells the story of Henri and Maryse.
The visit
How it works
- Book a 45-minute slot on the day you prefer. Admission is free, but reservation is required.
- Arrive a few minutes early, at the entrance of the atelier.
- Visit in a small group, accompanied: maximum 8 people per slot, to preserve the intimacy of the place.
We kindly ask you to experience the spaces with respect and in silence: it is not a museum, it is a home.
Contact
Get in touch
For information on visits, groups, schools or press enquiries.
- Email info@casabataille.it
- Phone +39 342 0318852
- Address Via Amerigo Vespucci 11, Cannigione (SS)