Parc Oriental de Maulévrier, France; photographed by Aida Yuen Wong, 2024.
807 Schermerhorn Hall
Please register here by April 2, 2025 for campus access.
A one-time QR code for entry to campus will be distributed prior the lecture to the email address you provide on the registration form. In order to enter campus, you will need to present the QR code along with a government-issued ID at the University gate (116th and Broadway or 116th and Amsterdam). Your name on the ID must match the name submitted on the registration form.
This talk delves into the philosophical and cultural underpinnings of three Japanese-style gardens in France: Monet's garden in Giverny, Le Parc Oriental in Maulévrier (the largest Japanese garden in Europe), and the Japanese garden at the Albert Kahn Museum in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris. Constructed during the height of Japonisme, between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these gardens draw on the "stroll gardens with ponds" tradition in Japanese landscaping. These tranquil sanctuaries not only reflect the stylistic principles of Japanese garden design but also underscore the cross-cultural exchanges that influenced their creation. The lecture will explore how these gardens serve as a testament to the enduring appeal of Japanese aesthetics and their adaptations within changing French environments.