Another Architect Remembered: Andre Le Notre Monument in Paris

Paris, France.  monument to landscape architect André Le Nôtre at the Garden of the tuileries.  Photos: Samuel D. Gruber (2013)

Another Architect Remembered: André Le Nôtre Monument in Paris

by Samuel D. Gruber
I wasn't consciously looking for architect monuments when recently in Paris, but en route to an exhibit at the Orangeries I encountered famed French landscape architect André Le Nôtre (1613-1700) captured in bronze at the edge one of his most trafficked (and much altered) creations, the Gardens of Palais des Tuileries.  This monument can keep company in this blog with that of Richard Morris Hunt in New York, which is fitting, as Hunt most certainly spent time strolling in  Le Notre gardens during the years he spent in France.

Paris, France.  monument to landscape architect André Le Nôtre at the Garden of the tuileries.  Photo: Samuel D. Gruber (2013)

The monument lists André Le Nôtre greatest works.  He Transformed the gardens of the Tuileries Palace, first laid out in the mid 176th century, into a grand formal garden that stretches between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, opened to the public in 1667.  Since the 19th century, it has been a primary place for Parisians to gather to relax and celebrate.  I don't know when this monument was installed near the entrance by the Place de la Concorde, but it appears to be fairly modern.  The bust was clearly made after an earlier sculpted commemorative portrait of Le Notre by Antoine Coysevox.

Paris, France.  Bust of André Le Nôtre from Tuileries monument (photo: Samuel D. Gruber)  and marble bust by Antoine Coysevox reportedly at the church of St. Roch. (Photo: http://www.art-prints-on-demand.com).

The park has undergone many transformations and many classically-inspired statues were added throughout the 19th century.  In recent decades more modern works have also been included on both permanent and temporarily basis.

Paris, France. View from near the Le Nôtre monument looking out of the Tuileries Gardens toward Place dfe la Concorde. What would Le Nôtre have thought (and does it matter)?. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber (2013).