pierre delavie wraps versailles in dior trompe l'oeil canvas

pierre delavie wraps palace of versailles in dior trompe l’oeil canvas
all images courtesy of pierre delavie

as the palace of versailles undergoes a monumental interior and external renovation, an enormous canvas designed by french artist pierre delavie masks the restoration of the roofs of the pavillon dufour and the vieille aile, until its completion in march 2015. the artistic undertaking sees the historic site team up with french luxury fashion house dior once again, furthering their collaboration and creative exchange which dates back to 1947.

delavie has interpreted their shared history as ‘to all the glories of france’, a massive and magical trompe-l’oeil artwork stretching across the chateau’s facade. photographs of dior’s past and current designs are situated in a setting of stone and greenery and appear as a window, to which viewers can peer within the royal court onto the gardens.

the canvas wraps the historic building during its restoration work

the canvas stretches across the chateau’s facade

the trompe-l’oeil treatment allows the viewer to seemingly peer into the courtyard

the gates of versailles open up onto the palace and it’s canvas covering
image © didier saulnier

dior imagers patterns the surface

the skewed perspective warps the sense of reality
image © didier saulnier

the illuminated palace at night
image © didier saulnier

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