Grandeur Nature II: free contemporary art exhibition 2025 at the Château de Fontainebleau

Grandeur Nature II is the name of the contemporary open-air exhibition on display in the gardens of the Château de Fontainebleau from May 25 to September 21, 2025. And since it's free, you'd be wrong to miss out.

The gardens of the Château de Fontainebleau provide a charming backdrop for a stroll in fine weather. But the walk is even more enjoyable when you come across works bycontemporary artists along the way.

The Château de Fontainebleau is organizing the second edition of itscontemporary art trail, Grandeur nature. This new open-air exhibition, which adds a touch of fantasy to the château's gardens and grounds, runs until September 21, 2025. The Grandeur nature II. The Spirit of the Forest is open to the public free of charge (a ticket is required to enter the château).

For this new edition of the open-air exhibition, nearly 40 works by 25 contemporary artists have been created and imagined, revealing whimsical, incongruous or amusing installations that enhance the beauty of this natural space. These artists all have a strong bond with nature, which is felt in their works: the installation is not there to obscure the majesty of the environment that surrounds us, but on the contrary to highlight it, to draw our attention to the thousand details that make up this little patch of greenery.

For one summer, the Château de Fontainebleau becomes the stage for a dialogue between contemporary art and nature. This second edition of the Grandeur Nature biennial, entitled L'esprit de la forêt, covers 130 hectares, from the famous Horseshoe Staircase to the Petit Mont Chauvet. In the form of an "art hunt", this open-air trail invites us to wander and keep our eyes peeled for the dozens of works on display throughout the park, from in front of the château to the Jardin Anglais, via the Grand Parterre, for an extraordinary journey. One of the works even awaits you in the heart of the city. These mischievous and whimsical creations highlight the garden's finest assets, but also the fragility of nature, which must be preserved.

One of the works not to be missed is Wang Keping's La Frénésie des Géants (Giant's Frenzy ) in the Grand Parterre. Made from beech trees uprooted by storms, these sculptures remind us of the power but also the vulnerability of the forest. In June, we'll be able to watch the artist at work during three outdoor creation sessions, on 6-8, 13-15 and 19-21, from 10am to 12pm and from 3pm to 6pm.

There's also Françoise Pétrovitch's La Sentinelle, Philippe Ramette's offbeat installations and mythological creatures by Marina Le Gall, Kim Dacres, Max Coulon and Jean-Marie Appriou. Four works by the CNAP add to this poetic journey through play, dreams and questioning.

Access to the exhibition is free every day from 9am to 7pm, even on Tuesdays, in the château's gardens and grounds. For those who wish to extend the experience, the château can be visited (except on Tuesdays) from 9.30am to 6pm (although access is subject to a charge).

Don't miss this beautiful and unusual outdoor exhibition, the perfect outing for friends and family this summer!