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Semeuses de l’ère moderne et leurs chefs-d’oeuvre by Eric HASKELL – Château de Bénouville
Lady sowers of the modern era and their masterpieces
Up to the 20th century, the creation of a traditional French garden was an essentially masculine domain. André Le Nôtre’s genius offers exemplary proof. Yet, in the early 20th century, drastic change brought with it a new landscape: women gained ground and established their place in the picture. From the Ile de France region to Normandy, our analysis focuses on three gardens. Created by unrivalled lady gardeners, these prestigious sites help us to rethink our notion of landscape and to understand the importance of a feminine viewpoint in the gardens of our time.
Eric Haskell
Eric Haskell is a professor in French studies at the Scripps College, Claremont University, California, where he is also director of the Clark Humanities Museum. He also studied history of art and architecture within the context of the higher education programme offered by the UCI and the École du Louvre in Paris. Dr Haskell’s lectures focus on the study of the political and social traditions that have shaped France. He has published around thirty works in English and French on a range of subjects, ranging from 19th century poetry to the history of gardens. In the specific field of the history of gardens and the aesthetics of landscape, Dr Haskell has organised over a dozen exhibitions.
Further reading :
Le Nôtre’s Gardens, RAM Publications, 1999
Les Jardins de Brécy: Le Paradis Retrouvé, Editions du Huitième Jour, 2007