Versailles explores the English garden as Enlightenment philosophy in new exhibition

The Grand Trianon at the Château de Versailles presents an exhibition on the English garden, running from May 5 to September 27, 2026. Curated by Élisabeth Maisonnier, the show examines how the irregular, naturalistic garden style embodied Enlightenment ideals of individual freedom and a return to nature, contrasting with the rigid symmetry of French formal gardens associated with absolute monarchy. The exhibition features paintings by Hubert Robert (including six large works loaned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art), Jean-Honoré Fragonard (La Balançoire, Le Colin-Maillard, and La Fête à Saint Cloud from the National Gallery of Art in Washington), and Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (portraits of Marie-Antoinette and the duchesse de Polignac). It also includes furniture, fashion, and architectural models. Key figures mentioned include philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose tomb at Ermenonville and concept of the 'state of nature' influenced the movement, and Laurent Salomé, director of the museum. The exhibition highlights 'fabriques'—follies such as pagodas, temples, and a fake volcano at Wörlitz—and the Petit Trianon's English garden created for Marie-Antoinette, with its restored grotto, belvedere, wooden bridge, and the Temple of Love by architect Richard Mique. The show is accompanied by temporary floral installations in the Trianon parks, completed in June.