Porquerolles Island
Get ready because a journey begins here. A trip to the Var region , located between the provence , the Alps and the Blue Coast . Perhaps you have been caught off guard and do not know that there is a place called Porquerolles Island , an island south of france , seven kilometers long and three kilometers wide, filled with the forests and gardens of the Port Cros National Park , as well as a charming village with everything you need to spend a few idyllic vacation.
You can only get here by boat and from this place another journey begins, this time through the contemporary art of our century. The Fondation Carmignac opens its doors next june second and until the second of November to publicize the collection of Edouard Carmignac , a lover of the island who has carried out the project with the help of Atelier Barani for the design, and the GMAA agency for the adaptation of the project.
View of the Fondation Carmignac.
The project occupies about 2,000 square meters in a unique landscape. The new museum is housed in a restored 1980s villa, which had previously been a provencal farm, and that will now house large temporary exhibitions and cultural events.
It is also an open-air museum since in its forest, which occupies 15 hectares, you will find sculptures distributed in a space conceived by the landscape artist Louis Benech. "As in all legends or journeys of initiation, the journey to the island is always a double crossing, both physical and psychological. It is about crossing to the other side," says the director of the foundation, Charles Carmignac to Traveler.es .
Lichtenstein's 'Fishing Village'.
The Carmignac-collection It has pieces of american artists of the 60s and 80s, as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein Y Jean-Michel Basquiat, that are in the inaugural exhibition Sea of Desire.
And more 20th and 21st century art with works by Gerhard Richter, Willem de Kooning, Martial Raysse, Miquel Barceló or even Ed Ruscha, while the collection opens up to new horizons with works by Zhang Huan, El Anatsui and others from the scene young emerging like Korakrit Arunanondchai or Theaster Gates. There will also be space for Photography and the photojournalism.
Basquiat's Fallen Angel.
A WALK AROUND THE ISLAND
The visit to the museum foundation begins by crossing the sea and then walking through the forest. Once the entire exhibition has been seen, one can go out to its gardens in the north and south where the art continues.
“The outdoor areas are full of artworks custom made. In the north, in an area of agricultural inspiration, there are immersive works of art such as a labyrinth of mirrors that lead to some wells”, director Charles Carmignac told Traveler.es.
In the southern sculpture garden you will find figurative examples, that is, faces, busts and representations of nature . Do not miss any detail because even on the ground there are surprises.
If you continue bordering the forest, you will find the sculptures of three alchemist kids among orange trees, Hyères lavender , eucalyptus, orchids, olive trees... and many rare species preserved on the island. The end of the trip could not be better than among the oak vineyards tasting a selection of the best agro-ecological wines in the area. At 200 steps the sea awaits you back or not.
The beautiful island of Porquerolles.