A stroll through the garden
The Sculpture Garden of the Fondation François Schneider, arranged around the former Wattwiller bottling plant, is a natural extension of its artistic programming, entirely dedicated to the theme of water. This contemporary art center offers a delightful outdoor path featuring major permanent works from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Upon arrival, visitors are welcomed in the front garden by Renaud Auguste-Dormeuil’s large water-mirror installation, From Here to There. The work plays with the reflection of the clouds, with the water then symbolically channeled beyond the Pacific through an imaginary tunnel. Concerned with environmental issues, Rachael Louise Bailey designed a large sphere made of inner tubes, which visually responds to the vortex in the neighboring basin by Renaud Auguste-Dormeuil.
The rear garden unfolds as a journey where water is the central element, omnipresent through iconic fountain-sculptures. The monumental Star Fountain by Niki de Saint Phalle is the highlight, featuring a Nana spouting water from her vases, cascading down her rocky base. Opposite, Ilana Isehayek’s Toupies d’eau (Water Tops) swirl and spin like dervishes, while the liquid element animates the 17 steel spheres of Pol Bury’s kinetic sculpture, making them glisten and tilt. Lorella Abenavolli presents a minimalist cube where water flows in a perfect, flat surface. Another perspective awaits the visitor: the building’s large glass bay, opening onto the garden, highlights Sylvie de Meurville’s work, Le Mont d’ici. This installation makes the water embrace the shapes of the Vosges crests, winding along until it flows into a large water basin.
The garden’s water features are active from April to September.
→ See all the artists in the collection
