As part of its contemporary art project at the Palace of Versailles in France, an exhibition of works by Japanese contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, titled "SUGIMOTO VERSAILLES Exhibition (tentative title)," will be held from October 16th to January 20th, 2019.

©château de Versailles Thomas Garnier Vue arienne du Temple de l'amour au Trianon domaine
Since 2008, the Palace of Versailles has been organizing an exhibition of works by Japanese and international artists once a year. The museum has hosted artists such as Jeff Koons in 2008, Xavier Veilhan in 2009, Takashi Murakami in 2010, Bernard Venet in 2011, Joana Vasconcelos in 2012, Giuseppe Penone in 2013, Lee Ufan in 2014, Anish Kapoor in 2015, Olafur Eliasson in 2016, and the group exhibition "Voyage d'Hiver" in 2017, creating a unique dialogue between each artist's work and the Palace and gardens of Versailles. Selected as the 11th artist-in-residence in 2018, Hiroshi Sugimoto has chosen the Trianon Palace, once a private space for royalty, to exhibit his works primarily in the Petit Trianon's folie (decorative architecture) and gardens. Created by Louis XIV, this area was home to a marble palace known as the Grand Trianon. Later, Marie Antoinette, queen of Louis XVI, remodeled the area and began using the Petit Trianon as a hideaway to escape the cramped life at the Palace of Versailles. She had a romantic garden, complete with a folie, a theater, and even a village, built on the site. This will be the first time that Hiroshi Sugimoto has used the Trianon Palace, one of Versailles' most iconic sites, for an exhibition comprised of art, architecture, and live performances.

Versailles Sugimoto 9434 ©Tadzio
"Bringing Hiroshi Sugimoto to Versailles is also a celebration of the eclecticism that defines the unique character of this great Japanese artist. For the first time, the Trianon Palace, which has inspired the works of Louis XIV and Napoleon, and Marie Antoinette and the Duke of Orléans, will be used to create a contemporary interpretation by Hiroshi Sugimoto. "Japonism" "Here at Versailles, where the 2018 exhibition will be held, Sugimoto demonstrates the cultural ties between Japan and France," said Catherine Pégall, director of the Palace of Versailles Museum. Hiroshi Sugimoto commented, "My artistic career began with two-dimensional photography. After surviving the challenges of exhibiting in inconvenient museum spaces, I became an architect to create the three-dimensional spaces I desired. Once I had created these three-dimensional spaces, I became interested in theater, adding the element of time to these spaces. My life as an artist seems to be moving toward incoherence rather than toward harmony. I am grateful for this opportunity, and I have decided to organize myself and consider how I can integrate my activities." The exhibition is curated by Alfred Pacquement, curator of the Versailles Contemporary Art Exhibition, and Jean de Loisy, director of the Palais de Tokyo, a contemporary art museum in Paris. Information about this exhibition can also be found on the official CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES website.