Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Le Jardin de Gabriel is a unique artistic work by Gabriel Albert between 1969 and 1989 in the hamlet of Chez Audebert, in Nantillé (Charente-Maritime). This outdoor garden-museum gathers about 400 statues and busts in reinforced cement, arranged around the house and the artist's workshop. The works, mostly painted, represent human figures (anonymous, historical or fictional), as well as about forty animals. The ensemble, including the built parts and the statutory composition, was included in the inventory of Historic Monuments on 10 May 2011 for its exceptional character.

Gabriel Albert (1904–1997), self-taught carpenter, designed this project after his retirement in 1969, transforming his property into a total work of art. He himself built his house, his workshop, and the decorative elements of the garden (porticoes, basins, windmill), in a meticulous detail. His work is part of the tradition of landscapers, such as the Factor Horse, mixing raw art and creative naivety. When he died, the garden, thought to be visited (symbolized by a guardian statue at the entrance), became a protected heritage place.

An inventory carried out in 2009–2010 by the region Poitou-Charentes (now New Aquitaine) recorded 388 works left out of 420 created: 202 statues and 186 busts. Female figures dominate it largely. In 2017, the region launched a restoration project to preserve these parts, some damaged by time or foam. The garden thus illustrates the rural life and popular art of the 20th century, while celebrating the creativity of an exceptional artist.

Gabriel Albert lived his entire life in Nantillé, where he settled in 1941 with his wife Anita Drahonnet (1905–1999). His career, marked by manual crafts before he devoted himself to sculpture, reflects a late but prolific artistic quest. His work, both intimate and monumental, bears witness to a vision of the world through simple materials (cement, sand) and an accessible aesthetic, anchored in his Saintongese territory.

Gabriel's Garden dialogues with other works of raw art in France, such as the ideal Palace of the Horse Factor or the Picplate House. These creations share an approach of total appropriation of the space of life by the artist, transforming the ordinary into extraordinary. Ranked a Historic Monument, the garden is today a place of memory and discovery, managed by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, which ensures its preservation and enhancement.

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