bluestocking
provence artists’ gardens
Boasting the likes of Van Gogh, Renoir, Matisse
and Picasso as once-residents, Provence holds a
secret for sparking artistic genius. Is it the fields of
lavender and rows of olive trees that incite a flutter of
creativity? Perhaps it’s the brilliant sunshine and the
sparkling blue of the Mediterranean Sea. Whatever
the inspiration, many eagerly succumb to the lure of
Provence. Artists still flock to the region to breathe
the ambrosial air, nestle into their secluded estates
and create.
Provence Artists’ Gardens takes readers on a sweeping
tour of the private grounds of 21 contemporary artists
who call this region home—a side of Provence rarely
seen. The gardens are not simply postcard-perfect
landscapes, although there are plenty of those to be
found. Rather, they reflect the individual imagination
of the artists who designed them. Each is unique and
most unexpected.
Author Julia Droste-Hennings drops by the home of
the late Arman, a founding member of the Nouveau
Réalisme movement. His garden grows magnolia, oak
and mimosa trees but also incorporates Pop Art-
like gestures, including the pool house covered with
hundreds of old telephones dangling from their cords,
a fountain made of stacked sinks and a burned out car.
For Arman, there was always a blurred line between
art and common objects, so his landscape is fittingly
full of sculpturally rendered pipes, rusty gears and
clock faces.
With breathtaking original photography from
Mario Ciampi, the book features 220 color images that
unite the beauty of nature with the fantastic artwork
that accompanies the outdoors. Ciampi knows when
to zoom in on the pink blooms of rose bushes and
when to pull back and capture an entire garden oasis
from the rooftops. And as Droste-Hennings describes
the life and career of each artist, she takes readers on
promenades through their gardens, including tidbits
for avid gardeners, noting plant species and their
adaptability to the summer heat in Provence.
In the lyrical garden of conceptual artist Bernar
Venet, bamboo forest and palm trees mingle
with immense coils of steel. Well known for his
Indeterminate Lines, Angles and Arcs series, which is
