Ólafur Elíasson at the Château de Versailles

Ólafur Elíasson, The Gaze of Versailles, 2016; installation view at the Château de Versailles; photo by Anders Sune Berg, © Ólafur Elíasson
Ólafur Elíasson, The Gaze of Versailles, 2016; installation view at the Château de Versailles; photo by Anders Sune Berg, © Ólafur Elíasson

Each summer since 2008, the Château de Versailles presents a contemporary monographic exhibition by a guest artist. For the ninth edition in 2016, Ólafur Elíasson has installed a series of site-specific works – three in the gardens and six inside the palace – to produce new perceptions of the iconic site.

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Anish Kapoor at the Château de Versailles

Anish Kapoor, C-Curve, 2007; stainless steel; installation view at the Château de Versailles, 2015; photo courtesy of Kapoor Studio, Kamel Mennour, and Lisson Gallery, © Tadzio
Anish Kapoor, C-Curve, 2007; stainless steel; installation view at the Château de Versailles, 2015; photo courtesy of Kapoor Studio, Kamel Mennour, and Lisson Gallery, © Tadzio

From June 9 through November 1, the Château de Versailles presents an exhibition of sculptural works by Anish Kapoor. It is the eighth exhibition of contemporary works at Versailles since 2008, and coincides with the tercentenary of the death of Louis XIV.

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Dreaming 2074

Rêver 2074

The Comité Colbert is an association of 78 luxury brands and 14 cultural institutions to promote the concept of luxury and the French art de vivre. The group was founded in 1954 and named for Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the politician who introduced economic reform under the rule of King Louis XIV and was a significant patron of literature and the arts.

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Water Theater Restoration at the Château de Versailles

illustration of Jean-Michel Othoniel's fountain sculptures of the Water Theater grove, image © Jean-Michel Othoniel
illustration of Jean-Michel Othoniel’s fountain sculptures of the Water Theater grove, image © Jean-Michel Othoniel

This summer, André Le Nôtre’s 17th-century Water Theater grove at Versailles has been restored by the landscape designer Louis Benech with contemporary sculptures by Jean-Michel Othoniel – the first new permanent artworks added the garden in over 300 years.

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Le Lustre Gabriel at the Château de Versailles

Le Lustre Gabriel at the Château de Versailles, installation view, image © Studio Bouroullec
Le Lustre Gabriel at the Château de Versailles, installation view, image © Studio Bouroullec

The Gabriel Staircase, at the entrance to the Grand Apartments at the Château de Versailles, was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel in 1772 after the Petit Trianon and the Royal Opera at the palace. Completion of the staircase was delayed from the Revolution – until 1985 – and the monumental space gained a contemporary focal point in 2013.

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