Chambord, symbol of the Renaissance, celebrates utopia for its 500th anniversary

Château de Chambord presents a vast exhibition on the genesis of its construction, 500 years ago, with the presence of exceptional works including three original sheets of the Codex Atlanticus by Leonardo da Vinci.

These documents, very rarely exhibited, are on loan from the Ambrosiana Library in Milan, which is part of the Vatican. They were transported in constant atmosphere climatic frames to prevent fluctuations in humidity and temperature.

"These sheets will come out of their reserve for three months (from May 25 to September 1, dates of the exhibition) before being plunged again into total darkness for several years in Milan, in order to rest", said associate curator Virginie Berdal.

One leaf represents the distribution of the circle and the quadrature, a second, the decomposition of the circle and the quadrature. The third of physics studies on counterweights and perpetual motion. "Chambord 1519-2019, utopia at work" presents more than 150 works exhibited over 2,000 m2, which have been loaned by museums, libraries and individuals around the world. Among them, the portrait of François 1er by Le Titien, on loan from the Louvre.

18 architecture schools solicited

Wanting to combine retrospective and prospective, Dominique Perrault, architect of the BNF and second curator of the exhibition, asked 18 schools of architecture on five continents to imagine an evolution of the castle of François 1er. From Barcelona to Cape Town, via Melbourne, Mexico City and Glasgow, the projects are all more futuristic and imaginative than each other.

A jury of professionals selected the most inventive. The public is invited to choose their favorite project at the end of the visit. "Chambord is a utopia (...) a sort of ideal projected in architecture", explained Jean d'Haussonville, general manager of the estate. This very elaborate exhibition, "the most important" in the history of the castle, according to him, cost more than one million euros, of which 500,000 were provided by the Italian insurance company Generali. Chambord, symbol of the Renaissance, located in the heart of Sologne, welcomes two million visitors each year.

Its construction, which began in 1519, around a double spiral staircase, is the subject of many passionate debates, particularly about the ideas of the Renaissance, at a time when France saw itself at the head of Christianity. .

Source: batirama.com