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Fontaine-Henry castle is notable for its carved façades, made of genuine
stone filigree in places. They reflect the change the great French tradition
underwent between the end of the Gothic period under Charles VIII and the
early Renaissance under the reigns of Louis XII and François I. Caen
stone [a creamy-yellow form of limestone] was quarried in calcareous hillsides
surrounding the castle. This stone was also exported towards England as early
as William the Conqueror’s reign (11th century), and then to the United
States where, being sculpted, it was used for the interior decoration of certain
skyscrapers in the early 20th century. This just shows you how sculpture is
a tradition that goes way back at Fontaine-Henry.
The lawns and the grounds surrounding the castle lend themselves
wonderfully well to the presentation of monumental sculptures, while the chapel
houses the smaller-sized ones. This is how one exhibition followed another
with, among other artists, the Charpentier studio of the Beaux-Arts [Fine
Arts School] of Paris (with Louis Leygues and César), Maria de Faykod
(marble work), Françoise Bissarra-Fréreau, Nathalie Decoster
(metal), Salvador Dali (Centenary Exhibition in 2004), Carole Eisner (USA
metal), Félix Roulin (Belgium, bronze, steel), Serge Saint (composite
works), and in 2009 Eric Théret (granite).
You will find several photographs from previous exhibitions below:
Catherine Riff exhibition
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Nathalie Decoster exhibition
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Isabelle Wacongne exhibition
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Éric Théret exhibition
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