Pascal Convert's 'La Constellation du Lion' Traces Family History and Resistance

Pascal Convert, a French artist known for his engagement with historical memory, has published a new book titled 'La Constellation du Lion' (Grasset). The 150-page narrative is a personal and historical investigation into his family origins, particularly his grandfather Léonce Dussarat, known as 'the Lion of the Landes,' a prominent figure in the Resistance in Aquitaine. Convert explores his childhood landscape of La Pince, his father (a teacher and painter who died young), his mother (who kept a lifelong diary titled 'Constellation'), and his grandfather's role in the Resistance. The book delves into the complexities of Vichy, Collaboration, and Resistance, portraying figures like the courteous but ruthless Nazi Dohse. Convert's writing is praised for its sobriety and refusal of ideological or moral posturing. The work is part of Convert's broader practice that includes sculpture, video, and documentary filmmaking, often focused on historical memory and resistance figures such as Joseph Epstein and Raymond Aubrac.