From May 25 to September 22, 2025, take a stroll through the gardens of the Château de Fontainebleau and discover the works on display. The Grandeur Nature contemporary art trail is back for a 2nd summer edition, free of charge.
The gardens of the Château de Fontainebleau provide a charming backdrop for a stroll in fine weather. But the walk is even more enjoyable when you come across works by contemporary artists along the way.
The Château de Fontainebleau organizes the second edition of itscontemporary art trail, Grandeur nature. This new open-air exhibition, which adds a touch of fantasy to the château's gardens and grounds, is on view from May 25 to September 22, 2025. The Grandeur nature II. The Spirit of the Forest is open to the public free of charge (a ticket is required to enter the château).
For this new edition of the open-air exhibition, nearly 30 contemporary artists have created and imagined whimsical, incongruous or amusing installations that enhance the beauty of this natural space. These artists all have a strong bond with nature, which is felt in their works: the installation is not there to obscure the majesty of the environment that surrounds us, but on the contrary to highlight it, to draw our attention to the thousand details that make up this little patch of greenery.
In the form of an "art hunt", this open-air itinerary invites us to wander and keep our eyes open for the dozens of works on display in the Jardin Anglais, all the way to the Grand Parterre, for an unusual journey. These mischievous and whimsical creations highlight the garden's finest assets, but also the fragility of nature, which must be preserved.
Let's discover together this extraordinary exhibition that brings contemporary art and nature into dialogue. The installations, as ephemeral as they are whimsical, reveal the beauty of the gardens and park, encouraging us to rediscover its perspectives and highlighting its fragility.
In anticipation of the new edition, here's a sneak preview of the works from 2023:
- The installation"La baraque à frites", by artist Philémon Vanorlé, takes an ironic and humorous look at the future of French fry shops as the waters rise. This structure, evoking both the trivial and the derisory, transforms itself into a lighthouse at nightfall. Positioned on the Etang aux Carpes, it embodies a reflection on the impact of global warming, often considered an "above-ground" subject.
- Emerging from a bush of azaleas and rhododendrons, Françoise Petrovitch 's sculptures create a captivating scene. Two young girls, a lemur, a character dressed as a rabbit and a mysterious llama-like creature, all charming and slightly monstrous, are the actors in a story open to the viewer's imagination. These stoneware beings, glazed in shades of blue and green, seem to have stepped out of a plant-based thriller or fantasy tale.
- The work"Dwarf! Dwarf!" by the Bordeaux-based artist collective Présence Panchounette, humorously and derisively displays a giant garden gnome, an emblem of kitsch, dressed in summer attire. This incongruous element, looking as if it had won a sandcastle contest, stands in the heart of the refined Jardin Anglais, under the protective shade of a large sequoia, in a silent joust for grandeur.
- "L'immortelle", an aluminum work by Martine Feipel and Jean Bechameil, explores a deconstructed, unbalanced universe that defies logic, yet changes perception. Evoking both tree and flower, this sculpture is an intersection of species and worlds, fusing the organic and the unreal. Named after an endemic French coastal plant threatened with extinction, it questions man's impact on climate and the disruption of natural cycles.
- Inspired by the ocean, Elsa Guillaume created"Embruns", a work that celebrates marine biodiversity while denouncing the ravages of intensive fishing. Reminiscent of a baroque capital or a waterless fountain, this sandstone sculpture reveals the fragile natural balance of the seabed. Accompanied by Salamander Riders specially designed for the exhibition and scattered throughout the garden, it blends harmoniously into the verdant landscape.
- "Les Hybrides" - A singular exhibition by Jean-François Fourtou. French artist Jean-François Fourtou, known for his unusual sculptures of animals and puzzling architectures, presents a collection of new works entitled "Les Hybrides" in 2023. This artistic composition blends the human and the vegetable, disrupting our reference points and reminding us of our childhood.
- "À tous les vents" is a poetic installation by artist Carole Chebron, made up of 300 plastic windmills. This ephemeral work, dating from 2016, highlights the fragility of things and emotions. Activated by the wind, these small windmills produce an enchanting sound, adding a sonic dimension to the artistic experience. Placed on a rock, they create a delicate, captivating atmosphere.
- Julien Berthier 's mischievous pigeons: the artist invited pigeons to take up residence on three classic sculptures in the Jardin Anglais. The result is as surprising as it is funny.
This ephemeral contemporary trail, designed by Muriel Barbier and Jean-Marc Dimanche, offers a unique and playful experience, where you become an art explorer. It's an invitation to get lost in the twists and turns of Fontainebleau's gardens, to marvel at the creativity of the artists and to see nature in a new light.
Don't miss this beautiful and unusual outdoor exhibition, the perfect outing for friends and family this summer!
