Jean-Pierre Rives' favorite Bay Area places
ON THE TOWN Renowned French artist and former rugby superstar takes his passion and energy to the Bay Area
When strolling the streets of Tiburon or the shores of Stinson Beach with his partner, Sonia Rives-Deleval, and their two young sons, tousle-haired Jean-Pierre Rives looks like any dad hanging out with his family.
Rives, 59, was once a superstar flanker in the rugby world - as famous as former San Francisco 49er quarterback Joe Montana was in the heyday of his football career.
The International Rugby Hall of Famer is today a renowned sculptor and painter who spends part of the year in France and part of the year in Tiburon, making art and enjoying Bay Area life.
Some might view his two careers as disparate, but he thinks the driving forces behind them are similar.
Rives' parents were tennis players who wanted him to take up the racquet, but he fell into rugby instead, drawn by the camaraderie and energy of team sport.
Living in the suburbs of Paris, he spent his free time in the homes of sculptor Albert Féraud and painter Ladislas Kijno, who became his mentors.
At the Serge Sorokko Gallery in San Francisco, Rives' abstract rusted steel beam sculptures and his canvases painted with oil paint and tar are on display through Oct. 10.