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My de Sortiraparis · Published on November 11th, 2017 at 11:40 a.m.
The great art exhibition at the Château de Versailles, which fascinates us all, has been entrusted this year... to the Palais de Tokyo! Jean de Loisy, its director, unveils a beautiful Winter Journey through the works of 17 artists, to be discovered from October 22, 2017 to January 7, 2018!
Every year, the Château de Versailles organizes a major contemporary art exhibition, where an established artist is invited to embellish its gardens in summer. In 2017, for its 10th edition, the Château de Versailles is changing the formula: the contemporary art exhibition takes over the gardens in autumn-winter, from October 21, 2017 to January 7, 2018, just after the Grandes Eaux season.
For the past 10 years, the Château de Versailles has given carte blanche to a contemporary artist, who has a few months to create in situ installations, for an unprecedented experience in this timeless place: the challenge is great, confronting the supremacy of the royal palace and the grandeur of its gardens worries, as much as the criticisms of the place's millions of annual visitors, who can make or break the artists' international reputation.
In 2017, Catherine Pégard, President of the Etablissement public du château, du musée et du domaine national de Versailles, turned to Jean de Loisy and the Palais de Tokyo to imagine a winter exhibition, a "Winter Journey" that shows the bosquets of the Petit Parc in a different light, from the glory of autumn to the dazzling mineralization of winter.
For this experiment, the iconic director of the Palais de Tokyo, Jean de Loisy - whohad already seduced the Mairie de Paris with his Nuit Blanche 2016, an edition full of magic - contacted Yoann Gourmel and Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel, curators at the Palais de Tokyo.
So it was with great curiosity that they entrusted the groves to 17 artists, based on texts by Céline Minard:
Marguerite Humeau at the Bosquet de l'Arc de Triomphe For the Bosquet de l'Arc de Triomphe, Marguerite Humeau presents RIDDLES, a sphinx protecting the Earth from Mankind, as a warning of the dangers man poses to the environment.
David Altmejd at the Bosquet des Trois Fontaines In the bosquet des Trois Fontaines, David Altmejd presents two sculptures that are part seduction, part monstrosity. One reveals a decomposed werewolf in meditation, while another shows a demiurge in a carnal relationship with his own creation.
John Giorno at the Bosquet des Bains d'Apollon In the Baths of Apollo, John Giorno leaves a trace of a great celebration. On his rock is written 'We gave a party for the Gods ans the Gods all came', a reminder of the sumptuous feasts given by the Sun King.
Mark Manders at the Bosquet de l'Etoile In the Bosquet de l'Etoile, a head lying on the ground gives us a sense of the sadness and melancholy that eternal life implies.
Dominique Petitgand at the Bosquet du Dauphin In the Bosquet du Dauphin, Dominique Petitgrand uses 24 loudspeakers to broadcast a monologue, interspersed with silences, that evokes memory loss and the loss of a sense of time - a veritable mental labyrinth!
Jean-Marie Appriou at the Bosquet de l'Obélisque In the Bosquet de l'Obélisque, four animal figures punctuate the course, in a tradition of illustrating the seasons with fire pots.
Cameron Jamie at the Bosquet de l'Encelade In several of his sculptures, Cameron Jamie revisits the fall of a titan who took on Jupiter. The screams and fury are dramatic and spellbinding!
Hicham Berrada at the Bosquet des Dômes In his works, Hicham Berrada stages chemical reactions. For the Château de Versailles, he presents tubes containing salt sculptures that will degrade over time, and tubes containing bronze concretions degraded by electric currents.
Ugo Rondinone at the Char d'Apollon To confront the Char d'Apollon and its perspective, Uno Rondinone has chosen to install Le Soleil (The Sun), a ring made of bronze branches that appears to be drawn from the abyss by Apollo's horses!
Sheila Hicks at the Bosquet de la Colonnade
Tomás Saraceno in the King's Garden Tomás Saraceno has installed mirrors in the King's Garden, offering new perspectives on nature!
Anita Molinero at the Bassin du Miroir In the Bassin du Miroir, sculptures made of red containers in molten PVC, like stalagmites of the industrial world...
Oliver Beer at the Bosquet de la Girandole For Voyage d'Hiver, Oliver Beer unveils a sound installation in the bosquet de la Girandole, offering pan-pipes sounds, thanks to the reproduction of passers-by's noises, their voices and ambient sounds passed through pipes.
Louise Sartor at Allée du Labyrinthe Louise Sartor takes over Allée du labyrinthe with "C'est estre fou que n'aimer rien", a bestiary of very small-format paintings on wood.
Rick Owens at the Bosquet de la Reine For this Voyage d'Hiver, Rick Owens covered the marbles with clothing, dressing the gods and heroes of the bosquets for the winter.
Stéphane Thidet in the Bosquet de la Salle de Bal In the Bosquet de la Salle de Bal, a ballroom destroyed by time and ice: chairs, a piano, a door and other elements suggest an accident, destroying everything in its path.
A successful challenge, we loved this winter stroll through the gardens of Versailles, each of which tells a different story, sometimes beautiful, sometimes chilling. A wonderful discovery to make!
Practical info Winter Journey at the Château de Versailles From October 22, 2017 to January 7, 2018 Location: Château de Versailles Opening hours: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily Admission: free
Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.
