Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Bourdelle d'Égreville Departmental Garden Museum, located in Égreville, Seine-et-Marne, is a space dedicated to the work of sculptor Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929). Created between 1966 and 1969 by Michel Dufet, architect-decorator, and his wife Rhodia Dufet-Bourdelle, daughter of the sculptor, this place extends over 7,000 m2. It was designed as an outdoor counterpoint at the Bourdelle Museum in Paris, located in the artist's former workshop. The garden, structured according to art deco principles and inspired by French parks, welcomes 56 original bronzes from Bourdelle, arranged for their decorative rather than educational effect.

The sculptures, installed between 1967 and the 1980s, include major works such as Heraklès archer (1909), Le Centaure dying (1911), or bas-reliefs of the Champs-Élysées theatre. Michel Dufet, although well known for his work in decoration and architecture, has here signed his only landscape creation. The garden, closed by curtains of poplars and plant palissades, showcases the works by seasonal color sets and a rigorous spatial organization. After the death of Rhodia Dufet-Bourdelle in 2002, the Seine-et-Marne department inherited the site and opened it to the public, while preserving the house (unvisitable).

The initial project aimed to provide an immersive experience of Bourdelle's art, in dialogue with nature. The bronzes, often created especially for this place, are divided into four areas: the front garden, the central garden (decorative garden), the back garden (massive of General Alvear), and the welcoming building. The exhibits include public monuments such as that dedicated to General Alvear (1913-1923) or studies for unaboutis projects, such as the Dragon on Rock (1897). The museum-garden completes other places dedicated to Bourdelle, such as the 15th arrondissement Paris Museum or the Ingres-Bourdelle Museum in Montauban.

Michel Dufet (1888-1985), a key figure in the project, devoted his career to the promotion of modern art, notably through his magazines (La Vie féminine, Le Décor d Whilst today) and his gallery Le Sylves. His marriage to Rhodia in 1947 strengthened his commitment to Bourdelle's legacy, which he had already supported the transformation of the Parisian workshop into a museum in 1949. The garden of Égreville, classified as a Remarkable Garden and partially protected under the Historic Monuments since 1995, bears witness to this collaboration between art, architecture and landscape.

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