A Magical French Sculpture Park

Charente-Maritime is a small département in western France, wedged between Bordeaux to the south and Brittany further north. It makes up part of France’s Atlantic coastline and is best known for places like the fortified seaport of La Rochelle and Île de Ré, a favorite vacation spot for Parisians seeking sun and sea.

Charente-Maritime also hosts Rochefort, where artisans painstakingly recreated Hermione, the frigate that Lafayette sailed to bring aid to the American Revolution. And it was on the nearby island of Aix that Napoleon last touched French soil before his exile in St. Helena.

But not all of Charente-Maritime’s charms are seaside. If you go inland a few miles, you’ll find a little-known treasure: one of the world’s great sculpture parks, Les Lapidiales.

A History of Stone

The region has been a source of stone since Roman times, and near the town of Pont-d’Envaux sits an abandoned quarry that has been worked since the 12th century. It is in a quiet area, in the middle of a forest—not a place you would visit unless you had a reason to.

In 2001 Alain Tenenbaum, a local artist, created that reason. He had the idea of turning this quiet spot into a sculpture park. So he began raising funds and when he had enough he started inviting sculptors.

One of the features of the quarry is that it is full of vertical walls, perfect for carving. Tenenbaum separated the quarry into zones, each with a different theme, then let the sculptors have at it. The walls of the quarry are big—some as high as six meters—so the carvings are very large.

Step by step, year by year, the quarry was transformed. Dozens of sculptors from around the world came and carved, each leaving their mark. And the results are quite extraordinary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHPBfVfXEeQ

But there’s one problem: the quarry has run out of space.

A Galaxy of Art

So Alain Tenenbaum, never one to rest, had a new idea. He would create a sister site, La Galaxie des Pierres Levées (the galaxy of raised stones.)

Near Les Lapidiales, Tenenbaum built his new sculpture park, this time in a large field. The theme is world culture, featuring art from the five continents. Tenenbaum has arranged hundreds of stone pedestals in the form of a spiral, as his idea is to create a showcase of art, expanding ever outward like a galaxy.

Every year, 5-7 sculptors are invited to be artists in residence. They are given a monolith—a block of stone about 2.5 meters high. This they carve over a period of several months, and the resulting sculpture is mounted on one of the pedestals in the galaxy. To date there are over 60 completed sculptures, with the goal of eventually having 2-300.

World Culture

The program began in 2012 and each year artists are invited from a different part of the world, such as the Caribbean and the Baltic Sea—this year from Japan and Korea. They do their sculpting at the entrance to Les Lapidiales, so you can admire their work as it takes shape, and sometimes have a chat.

The goal of the program is not only to create new art for the Galaxy, but also to share the culture of the artists’ home region. So during their residency, they visit local schools to discuss their country and its culture, sometimes accompanied by poetry readings or short theatrical productions.

Today Les Lapidiales and La Galaxie des Pierres Levées attract over 75,000 visitors a year, but they are big enough that they are never crowded. This is certainly a unique spot to consider for visitors to this western corner of France.

 

The Crown Jewels of France: Where Are They Now?

The British crown jewels are known the world over, with their brilliant diamonds and pieces like the crown, the scepter and the orb. They played an essential role in last year’s coronation of King Charles and are one of London’s major tourist attractions. 

Why are the British crown jewels so famous but we rarely hear about the French ones? It’s because the French crown jewels were sold. Yes, sold! It happened over a century ago, after a political crisis. And curiously, some may soon be coming home.

Read the fascinating story of the French crown jewels in France Today!

France’s 3 Digital Art Centers

Val and I visited Bordeaux this spring and saw something really remarkable: a former Nazi submarine base that had been turned into a digital art center. It was incredible! Beautiful art was projected onto the walls and reflected off the water, while lovely music played. Something that had once been a place of war had been turned into a place of beauty. It was the highlight of our visit.

This is one of three such digital art centers in France. There is also one in Paris, inside an old factory. And the place it all started is in Provence, in an abandoned quarry inside a mountain. They are all fantastic places to visit, brilliant and creative and so French.

Read all about them in France Today!

How to Kiss a French Person

It’s one of those French customs that mystifies foreigners: les bises (also called bisous). This is where French people kiss each other on the cheek.

It raises so many questions, like…when to do it? How to do it? How many times? And is it the same everywhere in France?

I’ve taken a deep dive into the history and practice of this most French of social customs. Let me share what I’ve learned–you might be surprised by a few things!

Read all about it in My French Life!

The Liberation of Aix-en-Provence

The 1944 D-Day landings of Normandy began the liberation of France, and the country has been celebrating this and other important events throughout the year. The latest is Aix-en-Provence, which just opened an important photo exhibition called Shadows and Light. This show, which runs through October 27, includes many rarely-seen photos from the years immediately before, during, and after World War II.

Taken from the historic Ely photo collection, visitors will see images that will alternately surprise, shock, and delight them. Many of the photos were taken surreptitiously, when photography was prohibited during the Nazi occupation.

If you are not able to visit Aix but would like to see a sample of the photos from the exhibition, check out this article in Perfectly Provence!

What’s in a Name? Popular Street Names in France

French streets have names, of course. Many are basic, reflecting their location. For example, the most popular street name in France is Rue de l’Église (Church Street). In the US it is Main Street and in the UK it is High Street.

But what about streets that honor people, how are they different in each country? Americans are fond of their presidents, so the most popular names are Washington and Lincoln. The UK loves its monarchy, with Kings, Queens, Victoria, and Windsor the top choices. 

And how about France? The French aren’t fans of kings and queens, that business back in 1789 having dimmed their enthusiasm. Instead, they name their streets after famous figures from their history—political and military leaders, scientists, authors, and the like.

What do you think are the most popular names? Find out in France Today!

Provençal Legends: Mont Ventoux and the Mistral

I always thought that Mont Ventoux came by its name because it is windy at the top, and venteux means “windy” in French. It’s a common misconception, but it’s not true. In fact, the word comes from Vintur, an ancient god worshiped by the Albiques, a Celtic tribe that once lived in the area.

Not only that, but the Mistral, the famous and sometimes-violent wind of Provence, is actually Vintur’s son! He’s a capricious child who throws tantrums when he doesn’t want to go to bed, hence the wildness of the wind. And there used to be an Albique ceremony to calm the boy and get him to go nighty-night.

I learned this in a very entertaining book called Le Dit du Mistral by Olivier Mak-Bouchard. It’s a fun story, full of legends and local expressions (though while most of the legends are true I suspect there’s some artistic license from time to time.)

Read more about these Provençal legends in Perfectly Provence!

Living Between Two Worlds

Florence Melin is a French woman who has lived in the United States for half her life, and also visits France every year. We met through a mutual friend and had a very interesting conversation, as I’m a little bit the opposite of her: an American who lives part-time in France.

I really appreciated Florence’s thoughts on how the US compares to France. She is able to see the good points of each country, along with the occasional frustrations. I could relate when she said there are some things you can never really understand about your new country, like events from childhood and are part of the collective cultural memory.

You can read about how Florence sees the two countries in My French Life!

A French Controversy: Who Will Sing at the Paris Olympics?

Rumors surfaced recently that French President Emmanuel Macron had invited Aya Nakamura to sing at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. A firestorm immediately erupted, and it has not died down yet.

The French-Malian Nakamura is by far the most popular French-language singer performing today. Her songs have been streamed billions of times, she has 25 Top Ten singles in France and has won multiple musical awards. Lancôme, part of French luxury house L’Oréal, recently named her its new World Ambassador.

So, why the controversy? Well, it’s complicated.

Read all about it in My French Life!

 

 

The Great French Hope Hits the NBA

A year ago, French phenom Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama was the world’s most sought-after young basketball player. His skills were so otherworldly that even the great LeBron James could not find the right word to describe him. He finally settled on “alien,” as in “from another planet.”

What makes Wemby so rare? It’s his never-before-seen mix of size and agility. He is one of the tallest players in the world, but has a 3-point shot as smooth as crème Chantilly. That gives him a one-two punch: the dominance of a center with the shooting and ball-handling of a guard.

So how is Wemby doing now that he’s in the NBA, the world’s premier basketball league? Let’s just say that even LeBron James might be at a loss for words!

Read all about it in Frenchly!