INDOC. Documentation Centre about Art and Nature

Centre International d'Art et du Paysage - Île de Vassivière

Situated in the centre of France, the CIAP started to take shape in 1983 after the staging of an international sculpture competition organised by Marc Sautivet, a mathematics teacher in Limoges with a keen interest in modern art. The competition was a success and laid the groundwork for the establishment of the art centre.

The building that houses the centre was constructed by architects Aldo Rossi and Xavier Fabre in a neo-regionalist style and has become a model for 20th-century architecture. The centre is located on an island in the middle of a lake that is reached by crossing a footbridge. It consists of an aqueduct-shaped building and a tower-lighthouse from which visitors can observe the surrounding forests and the surface of the water, essential elements of the sculpture park.

Visitors can enjoy works by artists committed to exploring the relationship between art and nature, including Andy Goldsworthy, Pierre Bismuth, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Cyprien Gaillard, Haung Yong Ping, Fabrice Hyber, Ilya & Emilia Kabakov, Bertrand Lévêque, Bertrand Lavier, Olivier Mosset, and Tino Sehgal.

Activities

The CIAP organises temporary exhibitions, and visitors can contemplate the collection of sculptures by following a route around the island. The centre also offers the following activities and services:

• Lecture series – held monthly to promote dialogue between artists and the public.

• Educational service – year-round educational activities related to contemporary art, adapted to the needs of each group. Three inflatable modules are available for holding workshops and meetings on- and off-site.

• Documentation service and specialised bookshop – focusing on architecture, contemporary art, landscape and gardens, and related topics.

• Video library – where visitors can view thematic and monographic films.

• Organised walks – artists participate in walks with visitors, providing them with an opportunity to discover hidden aspects of the island and the area, between fiction and reality. The aim is to give visitors a chance to appreciate the landscape with all their senses.

• Guided tours – of the building, the sculpture park, and temporary exhibitions.

• Art lending library – users can consult or borrow original engravings, photographs and designs. The art lending library also offers initiation and awareness-raising sessions on contemporary art.

• Friends of the CIAP Association – members can visit exhibitions for free and receive discounts at the bookshop and art lending library. They are also sent regular updates on art centre activities.

• Artist's residences – programme to start in November 2010.

More information

The sculpture park is free and open year-round. Opening hours can be checked at the website.

The complex includes a cafeteria-restaurant that is open daily from April to September and on weekends from October to March.

Centre International d'Art et du Paysage
Île de Vassivière F-87120
FRANCE

Tel.: +33 (0) 5 55 69 27 27
Fax: +33 (0) 5 55 69 29 31

E-mail: info@ciapiledevassiviere.com

• CIAP Website

Source: texts – CDAN, based on information provided by the Communications Department of CIAP – Île de Vassivière; photos provided by the Communications Department of CIAP – Île de Vassivière (the photo at the bottom of the page is of a work by Michelangelo Pistoletto entitled Il segno arte).

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