1651: the young Louis XIV was enamored by the “entertainment of the hunt” as practiced at Versailles. Starting from that year, the young sovereign would return there regularly, each year even, accompanied by his brother, his mother Anne of Austria, and Cardinal Mazarin. This place inspired such passion within him that years later, the King of France would begin massive construction work there. The year was 1661, but it wouldn’t be until May 6, 1682 that Versailles would finally become the primary residence of the royal court of France. It was entirely based on symmetry, composed around the cult of the sun, refinement, beauty, the sublime. The Hall of Mirrors, symbol of the monarch’s power, was built on the oldest terrace of the old castle. Ever since, Versailles has made the grandeur of France shine out to the four corners of the earth. This palace to end all palaces is often imitated, never duplicated.
On July 21, 2016, the EnsAD and the Établissement public du Château du Musée et du Domaine National de Versailles signed an agreement to develop a program to diversify the student population of France’s art schools. The idea: allow for an extension of the school’s potentialities. And so the EnsAD set up shop at Versailles to develop its professional education program for corporations, individuals, and professionals. With various public and private partners, the association hopes to kick off new and innovative projects founded on the richness of Versailles’ own heritage, which extends over 7,000 m2.
One of the main challenges was the renovation work underway in the Royal Stables – a vast space, classified as a historic monument, that today requires renovation and restoration. This renovation, overseen by Pierre Bortolussi, chief architect of Versailles’ historic monuments, depends as much on patrimonial legacy as it does on technical equipment and will involve the first batch of students. An initial workshop took place in December 2016 with students from an art mural studio led by professor Giuseppe Caccavale with the theme: “Design and Poetry of Spaces”. A second workshop, this time with students from the photo/video concentration, was coordinated by professor Jean-Claude Patticini with the intention of bringing a contemporary viewpoint to the Palace of Versailles. The next runway from the garment design concentration will take place June 29th within Versailles’ Royal Stables.
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