Situated between the Louvre Museum and Place de la Concorde is the popular Parisian landmark called the Tuileries Garden. One of the city’s first public gardens, it has served as a source of inspiration for artists including Camille Pissarro and Edouard Manet.
For a limited time, Oregonians can celebrate the art, design, history and evolution of the famous garden with the Portland Art Museum’s newest exhibit, “The Art of the Louvre’s Tuileries Garden.” The exhibit is on display through Sept. 14.
Co-organized with the High Museum of Art in Georgia and the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, the exhibit features more than 100 sculptures, paintings and drawings.
The garden was created for Queen Catherine de’ Medici in 1564 to enhance the Tuileries Palace. Originally reserved exclusively for royalty, the garden became increasingly accessible to the public beginning in the late 17th century, according to a news release.
In 1637, André Le Nôtre was appointed as head gardener. Known as one of the most influential gardeners in history, Le Nôtre’s achievement was to “unify grand classical buildings with dramatic, monumental gardens,” according to the news release. He also designed the gardens at Vaux-le-Vicomte, Chantilly, and the great park of the Palace of Versailles.
Although the palace was destroyed in the 1871 civil uprising known as the Paris Commune, the garden continues to be a popular Parisian destination.
Highlights of the exhibit include works by Pissarro and Manet, sculptures by Antoine Coysevox and François Joseph Bosio and more than 50 rarely exhibited photographs of the garden.
Tickets to the special exhibition are $20 for adults and $17 for seniors (ages 55 and older) and students (with identification). Tickets include general admission to the rest of the museum.
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