  Aims.Analysis of the innermost regions of the carbon-rich star IRC+10216 and
of the outer layers of its circumstellar envelope have been performed in order
to constrain its mass-loss history. Methods: .We analyzed the high dynamic
range of near-infrared adaptive optics and the deep V-band images of the
circumstellar envelope of IRC+10216 using high angular resolution, collected
with the VLT/NACO and FORS1 instruments. Results: .From the near-infrared
observations, we present maps of the sub-arcsecond structures, or clumps, in
the innermost regions. The morphology of these clumps is found to strongly vary
from J- to L-band. Their relative motion appears to be more complex than
proposed in earlier works: they can be weakly accelerated, have a constant
velocity, or even be motionless with respect to one another. From V-band
imaging, we present a high spatial resolution map of the shell distribution in
the outer layers of IRC+10216. Shells are resolved well up to a distance of
about 90'' to the core of the nebula and most of them appear to be composed of
thinner elongated shells. Finally, by combining the NACO and FORS1 images, a
global view is present to show both the extended layers and the bipolar core of
the nebula together with the real size of the inner clumps. Conclusions: .This
study confirms the rather complex nature of the IRC+10216 circumstellar
environment. In particular, the coexistence at different spatial scales of
structures with very different morphologies (clumps, bipolarity, and almost
spherical external layers) is very puzzling. This confirms that the formation
of AGB winds is far more complex than usually assumed in current models.
