Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Coubertin Foundation, recognized as a public utility in 1973, was born in 1950 from the meeting between Yvonne de Coubertin (niece of Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the Olympic Games) and Jean Bernard, artist and renovator of the companionship. Their goal was to train young people from the manual trades by conveying to them values of excellence, honesty and responsibility. The 80-hectare estate, inherited from the Coubertin family, houses a 17th-century castle that has been listed as historic monuments since 1945, surrounded by an English park and a bronze garden.

The Foundation's collections, installed in the castle, consisted of an initial donation of 21 sculptures and 1,500 drawings by Joseph Bernard (father of Jean Bernard), a major sculptor from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1994, René Collamarini's studio fund enriched this ensemble, which now includes 116 sculptures (including works by Robert Wlérick, Pablo Gargallo, or Jean Cardot) and deposits of institutions such as the Bourdelle Museum. An outdoor sculpture museum, the Bronze Garden, was designed by architect Robert Auzelle.

Every year, the Foundation trains about 30 young companions (carpenters, cabinetmakers, metalmakers, etc.) in well-known workshops, such as the Santiago workshops (authors of the reconstruction of the Royal Grid of Versailles) or the Coubertin foundry (creator of the Flame of Liberty for the Embassy of the United States in 2008). Since 1977, she has organized annual temporary exhibitions, highlighting sculptors such as Joseph Bernard, Marta Pan or Ousmane Sow. The estate, open to the public two months a year, obtained the label musée de France in 2002.

The castle, a sober façade of the end of the seventeenth century, is part of a preserved landscape of the Chevreuse valley, five minutes walk from the RER station. The linden driveway leading to the gate, the English park and craft workshops make it a unique place combining historical heritage, professional training and cultural outreach. The Foundation thus perpetuates the heritage of Pierre de Coubertin, combining education, art and the transmission of know-how.

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