An artistic and cultural weekend in Touraine

Contemporary Art Unveiled Amid the Private Forest of La Duporterie in Touraine

On one hand, there is a passion—Anne-Caroline Frey’s devotion to contemporary art. Transforming the Loire Valley Lodges estate into an outdoor gallery through an artistic trail, showcasing works by diverse creators, was an inevitable vision. On the other, a calling—Philippe Pasqua’s dedication to art. Whether delving into drawing, painting, or sculpture, the artist’s monumental pieces redeem the afflicted, those destined to fade into collective indifference.

Scarred bodies, skulls, marine creatures—all evoke life’s fleeting nature. In the La Duporterie forest, the artist and the aficionado discover a privileged realm for expression and exhibition. Their collaboration for Loire Valley Lodges, through two profound projects, resonates deeply. In 2023, an 18-meter stainless steel whale was installed in a dried-up pond. This gleaming carcass, stranded at the forest’s heart—an tableau of incongruity—evokes the ramifications of climate change and humanity’s lethal greed, ever eager to deplete natural resources. Following “The Whale,” the “5 Oaks for Eternity” project promises equal monumentality and significance. Nestled in a glade, five ailing oaks languish amid lush surroundings. Once gone, they might be replaced by life-sized bronze replicas, their decay and presence immortalized forever. An unmissable cultural discovery where art and nature converse, elevate one another, and provoke introspection.