PARKS & GARDENS
The wooded grounds of Domaine du Montcel turn every stroll into a truly peaceful moment, ideal for a weekend or a holiday in the countryside.
The listed English-style garden, designed by Madame Oberkampf at the beginning of the XIXᵉ century, can be explored along winding paths, revealing picturesque views worthy of Impressionist paintings.
Every corner of the park seems to be a living work of art, where nature expresses itself to the full.
At the centre of the estate, the two-hundred-year-old cedar stands guard over the wooded park, a symbol of the history and natural beauty of the estate.
ART AT EVERY STEP
Art is present in every corner of the Domaine du Montcel and the Hotel Dolce Versailles. From contemporary works in the grounds to the Jouy canvases that adorn the walls and lounges, every detail pays tribute to its rich artistic past and to Monsieur Oberkampf, who pioneered the printing of these famous canvases.
Staying at the Domaine means immersing yourself in several centuries and enjoying a unique cultural experience just a stone's throw from Versailles.
LONG TERM PARKING - 1982
In 1982, artist, sculptor, and visual artist Arman created Long Term Parkinga monumental work in the heart of the Domaine du Montcel. The Franco-American artist's flagship work consists of a stack of fifty-nine real carcasses set in concrete, forming a tower over nineteen metres high.
The choice of this accumulation of carcasses is not insignificant for Arman, whose work questions and is interested in objects that are representative of our consumer societies and modernity: the car symbolises precisely that. He also intends to show that even if the object is sacred, this will not prevent its destruction in the near future. The accumulation of identical objects, in a quantitative logic, makes it possible to erase their singularity and project an image of profusion and abundance, while underlining the perishable nature of the products of the affluent society.
In the face of works of art whose very essence is to be immortal, Arman has achieved the feat of creating a work of art that ages with people. The end result of the work will be the total disappearance of the cars, leaving the empty spaces in the concrete. One day, all that will remain of the work will be the concrete tower, which itself may gradually be covered in ferns... until it disappears altogether?
TRIBUTE TO EIFFEL - 1989
The Fondation Cartier's inaugural exhibition is dedicated to the contemporary artist César, who was made Commandeur des Arts et Lettres the same year.
It was against this backdrop that the artist began work on his Hommage à Eiffel, a giant 18-metre-high plaque created with the help of his assistants Jean-François Duffau and Christian Debout, entitled "Les Fers de César" ("Caesar's Irons") and destined for the grounds of the Fondation Cartier château. It was created using beams from the operation to lighten the Eiffel Tower. More specifically, the materials used were partly taken from fragments of an Eiffel Tower staircase that had been dismantled during the work. These fragments of the Eiffel Tower, purchased in 1983, have been brought together in a vast tangle.
In 1989, the monumental sculpture was completed. It was inaugurated with great pomp, performances and fireworks in the Foundation's garden. A 6-metre-high plaque using the same elements from the Eiffel Tower was installed in the grounds of the Yoshii Foundation in Japan the same year. So César's work in Jouy en Josas has a little sister on the other side of the world, in Japan.
PARK & GARDENS
The wooded grounds of the Domaine du Montcel turn every stroll into a truly peaceful moment. Ideal for a weekend away or a holiday in the countryside, it's the perfect place to relax...
The listed English-style garden, designed by Madame Oberkampf at the beginning of the XIXᵉ century, can be explored along winding paths, revealing picturesque views worthy of Impressionist paintings. Every nook and cranny of the park seems like a living work of art, where nature expresses itself to the full.
At the centre of the estate, the two-hundred-year-old cedar stands guard over the wooded park, a symbol of the history and natural beauty of the estate.
ART AT EVERY STEP
Art is present in every corner of the Domaine du Montcel and the Hotel Dolce Versailles. From contemporary works in the grounds to the Jouy canvases that adorn the walls and lounges, every detail pays tribute to its rich artistic past and to Monsieur Oberkampf, who pioneered the printing of these famous canvases.
Staying at the Domaine means immersing yourself in several centuries and enjoying a unique cultural experience just a stone's throw from Versailles.
LONG TERM PARKING - 1982
In 1982, artist, sculptor, and visual artist Arman created Long Term Parkinga monumental work in the heart of the Domaine du Montcel. The Franco-American artist's flagship work consists of a stack of fifty-nine real carcasses set in concrete, forming a tower over nineteen metres high.
The choice of this accumulation of carcasses is not insignificant for Arman, whose work questions and is interested in objects that are representative of our consumer societies and modernity: the car symbolises precisely that. He also intends to show that even if the object is sacred, this will not prevent its destruction in the near future. The accumulation of identical objects, in a quantitative logic, makes it possible to erase their singularity and project an image of profusion and abundance, while underlining the perishable nature of the products of the affluent society.
In the face of works of art whose very essence is to be immortal, Arman has achieved the feat of creating a work of art that ages with people. The end result of the work will be the total disappearance of the cars, leaving the empty spaces in the concrete. One day, all that will remain of the work will be the concrete tower, which itself may gradually be covered in ferns... until it disappears altogether?
TRIBUTE TO EIFFEL - 1989
The Fondation Cartier's inaugural exhibition is dedicated to the contemporary artist César, who was made Commandeur des Arts et Lettres the same year.
It was against this backdrop that the artist began work on his Hommage à Eiffel, a giant 18-metre-high plaque created with the help of his assistants Jean-François Duffau and Christian Debout, entitled "Les Fers de César" ("Caesar's Irons") and destined for the grounds of the Fondation Cartier château. It was created using beams from the operation to lighten the Eiffel Tower. More specifically, the materials used were partly taken from fragments of an Eiffel Tower staircase that had been dismantled during the work. These fragments of the Eiffel Tower, purchased in 1983, have been brought together in a vast tangle.
In 1989, the monumental sculpture was completed. It was inaugurated with great pomp, performances and fireworks in the Foundation's garden. A 6-metre-high plaque using the same elements from the Eiffel Tower was installed in the grounds of the Yoshii Foundation in Japan the same year. So César's work in Jouy en Josas has a little sister on the other side of the world, in Japan.
