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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R4, Île Seguin

North elevation of R4, R4 application for planning permission dossier, © Ateliers Jean Nouvel
North elevation of R4, R4 application for planning permission dossier, © Ateliers Jean Nouvel

In Boulogne-Billancourt, a western suburb of Paris, an island in the Seine is being developed into an “artistic micro-city” designed by Jean Nouvel. The project for Île Seguin will create artists’ studios, commercial gallery and auction spaces, an exhibition hall, and a conference center to transform the island into a modern cultural hub.

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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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