Temple de la nature: Palais ideal du facteur Cheval

Built by the hand of a single man, this 23-meter by 12-meter monument, which required 600 cubic meters of stone and 20 years of work, is, according to André Malraux, the “only example in architecture of naive art”. Described by its creator, Ferdinand Cheval, as the “Temple of Nature”, then the “Ideal Palace”, this true curiosity, located in Hauterives in the Drôme region, fascinated the Surrealists in their day. André Breton, Max Ernst and even Picasso were fascinated by this place, which today remains an enigma, an invitation to interpretation.

A century later, artist Aurélien Froment confronts it. He chooses to direct our gaze so as to bring out every detail of this abundant architecture. Using black sheets reminiscent of 19th century portrait photographers, he isolates each sculpture and immortalizes the details, animals, flora and legendary human figures. This inventory appears as a set of clues, a treasure hunt through which the contours of this unique folly are sketched out.