The works of Nassos Daphnis and Rita McBride are on display at the Fondation CAB in Saint-Paul-de-Vence (Alpes-Maritimes) in March 2026. THOMAS CIMINO/NASSOS DAPHNIS & RICHARD TAITTINGER/STUDIO RITA MCBRIDE/MAI 36/KONRAD FISCHER/ALFONSO ARTIACO
Today, he is better known for his peonies than for his paintings, but between 1958 and 1998, Nassos Daphnis (1914-2010) was one of the mainstays of the legendary Leo Castelli Gallery in New York. With 17 solo exhibitions organized over that period, he was among the most exhibited artists there, just behind Jasper Johns, who had 19, and Robert Rauschenberg, with 18 – though Rauschenberg's Pop Art was worlds away from Daphnis's work. A new exhibition, curated by the Belgian Gregory Lang at Fondation CAB in Saint-Paul-de-Vence (Alpes-Maritimes), brings Daphnis back into the spotlight, alongside American artist Rita McBride, born in 1960. It is his first exhibition in France since 1962.
Why peonies? Because he was also a horticulturist: On the private but publicly accessible estate of Linwood Gardens, located a few hours' drive from New York City, he managed to produce new varieties of tree peonies by crossing rare oriental species with native ones. Forty-six of these were officially registered with the American Peony Society. They bear names inspired by Greek mythology, a nod to his birthplace, in Krokees, near Sparta.
