I never imagined I’d walk through an art gallery barefoot until Villa Carmignac…

I never imagined I’d walk through an art gallery ????????les pieds nus (barefoot)… until Villa Carmignac by @fondationcarmignac on Porquerolles. Tucked inside a Provençal farmhouse and surrounded by gardens filled with sculptures, olive trees, pines and even a glass maze, it feels like stepping into un monde (a world) where art and nature are in constant conversation.

The reason I came was for VERTIGO, their current exhibition curated by Matthieu Poirier. It’s all about abstraction and perception, with works by Yves Klein, James Turrell, Gerhard Richter, Olafur Eliasson, Jesús Rafael Soto and others. Light, color and movement play tricks on your senses until you’re not just looking at the art, you’re inside it.

After wandering through the galleries and gardens, we sat down for lunch under the pine trees at the villa’s restaurant, Le Poisson Ivre, and honestly didn’t want to leave.

A quick note on Fondation Carmignac: created in 2000 by Édouard Carmignac, it started with a private collection and a photojournalism award, and in 2018 opened the doors of Villa Carmignac to the public. The idea is simple and beautiful: bring contemporary art into a setting that makes you feel and think differently.

VERTIGO runs until November 2. Whether you’re in France or planning a trip, make this a stop. Take the ferry to Porquerolles and see it for yourself.

French Vocab Corner

- une galerie d’art = an art gallery
- une exposition = an exhibit
- la lumière = light
- les couleurs = colors
- les œuvres contemporaines = contemporary artworks

#fondationcarmignacpartner