L’artiste contemporain et la nature

Artworks - 02/04/2015 - Article : Corinne Crabos

At the end of the 1960s, “artists come out of the art studio” and venture into cities, gardens, urban and natural landscapes, “to give more room to the sculptural gesture”. Art historian Colette Garraud takes us all over Europe to discover the multitude of outdoor installations that were born from this major artistic movement. Articulating her book around “The sculpture and the space”, “Places for the body” and “The tree: an object of nature”, the author itemizes, through numerous photographs, the diversity of contemporary artists’ approaches and creations. Gormley, Penone, Goldsworthy, Marta Pan, Dan Graham and others break the lines and change our perception of how we relate to space, time, nature, and our selves. Sculpture parks, gardens and landscapes are not only welcoming grounds, they are at the very heart of the creative process, where sculptures are born, live and sometimes die. Colette Garraud takes us on a European tour of more than twenty sites, and unveils their history and their uniqueness.

L’artiste contemporain et la nature – Parcs et paysages européens, Colette Garraud, in collaboration with Mickey Boël. Photography Elisabeth Broekaert. Editions Hazan, 2007, 280p, colored illustrations.