LE DÉSERT DE RETZ : PAYSAGE CHOISI

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• AuthorJulien Cendres, Chloé Radiguet
• PublisherEclat
• Date of publication2009-09-25
• Language(s)French
• IllustrationsColour, b&w ill.
• Pages175
• DescriptionPaperback
• Price (VAT incl.)47.00 €
• AvailabilityShipping within 48 hours

An expression of a new way of looking at the world, an "earthly paradise" in the middle of the forest of Marly, the Désert de Retz is the work of the extravagant François Racine de Monville, and the most remarkable of the Anglo-Chinese gardens. Conceived at the end of the 18th century as an architectural and landscaped microcosm - it housed a Greek temple, an Egyptian pyramid, a Chinese pagoda, a Tartar tent... -This exceptional place has always attracted numerous political personalities, including Queen Marie-Antoinette, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, and has inspired many contemporary artistic creations: Colette, Jacques Prévert, Abel Gance, the Surrealists, etc.

Saved from annihilation by the will of André Malraux and then attached to the Great Works by François Mitterrand, the Désert de Retz is now the subject of a vast restoration program and opens its doors to the public for the first time. This book, the only monograph devoted to the Désert de Retz, traces the history of this "symbolic" place that continues to arouse enthusiasm and passion. Richly illustrated, it presents numerous unpublished documents and photographs by Denise Bellon, Daniel Boudinet, Robert César, Philippe Dollo, Patricia Farazzi, Izis, Michael Kenna, Jean-Noël Loriers and Steve Wilson... Afterword by Pierre Morange.

Price (VAT incl.) : 47.00 €