A Walk in Le Jardin des Tuileries

When in Paris, how can you not walk in Le Jardin des Tuileries or the Tuileries Gardens, which has been on Unesco's World Heritage list since 1991. The layout of the gardens is the work of 'the king of gardeners' Andre Le Notre. Many episodes in the history of France happened here, including the bloody events of the French Revolution in 1792. In fact, 'the heart of France is said to beat in the Tuileries'.

Bassin octogonal /Octagonal pool  (CNB 2014)

'The Tuileries are French-style formal gardens, fully open to the sky, organised around an architecture of walls, stairways, terraces and ornamental pools that demand regular maintenance and restoration, especially since the gardens receive a vast number of visitors estimated at ten million people per year'. The gardens also exhibit many sculptures of note, including by Rodin and Henry Moore. During our walk from Place de la Concorde towards the Louvre, we photographed Gaston Lachaise's 1932 Standing woman, and Willem de Kooning's Standing figure, (1969-84), both in bronze.

Standing woman (CNB 2014)

Standing figure (CNB 2014)

In the words of Henri Loyrette, President-Director of the Musee du Louvre (to which the gardens have been administratively attached since 2005), "With three thousand trees, beautiful flowerbeds, and surprisingly diverse flora and fauna, the Tuileries, history's legacy, are above all (royal) gardens open to all".*

Grand bassin rond/Large round pool (CNB 2014)

* Ref.: The Tuileries Gardens. Connaissance des Arts, 2008. Ex Libris CNB 2027