Le Palais idéal du facteur Cheval

Built by a single man, this 23 x 12 meter monument, which took 600 cubic meters of stone and 20 years to complete, is, in the words of 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 to bring out every detail of this abundant architecture. Using black sheets reminiscent of the photographers of yesteryear, 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.