On Duty – Ruhl Plage, Nice (2026)

Alex Nereuta’s On Duty – Ruhl Plage, Nice captures the vibrant atmosphere of a Mediterranean summer at one of the French Riviera’s most iconic beach clubs. Beneath a brilliant blue sky, striped blue-and-white beach umbrellas and sunbeds line the shore, while a beach club worker carries a large white object through the scene. Fluid brushstrokes, simplified figurative forms and bold graphic contrasts create a contemporary coastal painting filled with movement, sunlight and the unmistakable colours of the Côte d’Azur. Set at Ruhl Plage along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, this original Mediterranean painting offers a different perspective on European summer beach life. While holidaymakers relax beneath striped parasols, swim in the turquoise sea and enjoy a glass of rosé, beach club staff are busy preparing umbrellas, arranging sunbeds and keeping everything running. You see the same beautiful Mediterranean setting, but through the eyes of those who make these leisurely moments possible. Drawing on countless days spent at Ruhl Plage across many summers, the composition celebrates the often-overlooked rhythm of life behind the scenes. The contrast between work and leisure led to two companion paintings: On Duty – Ruhl Plage, Nice, focusing on the beach club staff, and Off Duty – Ruhl Plage, Nice, capturing a guest enjoying a quiet moment by the sea. Created using acrylic on canvas, this one-of-a-kind original painting combines expressive brushstrokes, geometric shapes and a luminous palette of azure and turquoise blues, crisp whites and sunlit neutrals. Available individually or together with Off Duty – Ruhl Plage, Nice as a diptych, it celebrates the timeless beauty of French Riviera beach culture and the people who bring it to life.