The iconic Parisian park always surprises - and never more so than during Paris+ par Art Basel

Matthieu Jacquet

The secrets of the Jardin des Tuileries

‘The Fifth Season’, an exhibition jointly organized by Paris+ par Art Basel and the Louvre Museum and curated by Annabelle Ténèze, will give visitors the opportunity to discover the city’s iconic Tuileries Garden in a new light. Read on to discover some of the historic site’s unusual features, from innovative sculptures to model boat races.

1. Jean Prouvé and Pierre Jeanneret’s ultra-Modern house
How about moving into a new home in the Jardin des Tuileries? ‘The Fifth Season’ implies this might be possible with the inclusion of the iconic F 8x8 BCC House, designed by architects Jean Prouvé and Pierre Jeanneret in 1942. Developed during the Second World War, the dismantlable 64m2
house continues to impress as a feat of construction innovation thanks to its primary material (wood), its easy assembly (requiring only four people), its light weight, and its low environmental impact. Visitors will be able to look round the building to discover how inventions from the last century can inform those of tomorrow.

2. An unexpected vegetable garden
The Jardin des Tuileries has a lot to offer: fountains and lakes, an open-air sculpture museum, playgrounds, and peaceful benches under the trees. But only the most observant of visitors will have noticed the small vegetable garden just steps away from the Musée de l’Orangerie and the banks of the Seine, hidden by trees and bordered by a fence. This fertile plot of land – on which a variety of plants, fruits, and vegetables are grown all year round – is also part of the Tuileries’ rich history: During the Second World War, faced with food shortages, Parisians converted an entire section of the garden into a vegetable patch to help them bolster their food supplies.

3. Model sailing boats on Wednesdays 
It’s a famous tradition in the Tuileries: Every Wednesday afternoon, people of all ages gather around the garden’s large Octagonal Basin to sail little colored boats, which can be rented for the modest sum of two euros. The activity dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when it was started by the Rigolage family.&nbsp;For the duration of ‘The Fifth Season’, these miniature boats will set sail around five large marble tree leaves sculpted by the Swiss artist <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/17964/Claudia-Comte" target="_blank">Claudia Comte</a>. Executed in the playful Pop Art style for which she has become known, the work symbolizes the meeting of plant, mineral and aquatic worlds.

4. <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/13609/Zanele-Muholi" target="_blank">Zanele Muholi</a>’s women of the earth
Widely recognized for her photographic self-portraits, <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/13609/Zanele-Muholi" target="_blank">Zanele Muholi</a> discovered a newfound talent during lockdown as a sculptor. For ‘The Fifth Season’, four of the South African artist’s black bronzes of female figures will be installed directly on the grass, without pedestals, embodying the fusion between human and nature. One figure’s torso seems to emerge from the ground, as though her legs are rooted deep into the soil, while a fountain flows from the top of her head; the second lies on the ground; and the third kneels with a rope laced around her body. Addressing sexist violence and calling for the liberation of women, the artist’s fourth work echoes the scenes of kidnapping depicted in the historical sculptures of the Tuileries.

5. The AIDS sculpture by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/10151/General-Idea" target="_blank">General Idea</a>
Walking down the paths of the Tuileries, we come across a special monument: a lacquered metal sculpture forming the word ‘AIDS’ – the disease that has ravaged the world since the early 1980s. Now covered with messages of all kinds left by visitors, the piece was made by the Canadian artist and activist collective <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/10151/General-Idea" target="_blank">General Idea </a>– AA Bronson, Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal – who were active between 1967 and 1994. The sculpture is installed alongside a large stone engraved with a poem by the American artist John Giorno, offering visitors two ways of remembering forgotten and marginalized communities.&nbsp;

6. Bandstand performances by Romina de Novellis
Bandstands were a common sight in the 19th century, providing live entertainment venues in towns all over Europe. Yet, despite being installed in many public spaces – from parks to city squares – one was never built in the Tuileries. Italian artist Romina de Novellis will make up for this during ‘The Fifth Season’ by installing her own bandstand and performing a work that combines music and dance for several hours every day. This event will go down in history as the first artistic performance in the Tuileries Gardens. 
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Curated by Annabelle Ténèze, ‘La cinquième saison’ (‘The fifth season’) will be presented in the jardin des Tuileries - Domaine National du Louvre during Paris+ par Art Basel 2023. Learn more <a href="https://parisplus.artbasel.com/public-program/jardin-des-tuileries-domaine-national-du-louvre?lang=en" target="_blank">here</a>.
Matthieu Jacquet is a journalist and art critic based in Paris. He writes about art and fashion for Numéro and Numéro art. English translation: Catherine Bennett. Published on September 6, 2023.
Caption for top image: Photography by Aliki Christoforou&nbsp;for Paris+ par Art Basel.

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