Most people visit the Loire Valley for its magnificent chateaux, wonderful vineyards, historic towns, beautiful gardens and beautiful villages. But for something different, you might like to visit the Fondation du Doute in Blois.
In the shadow of the castle that dominates the city, you can’t miss the Foundation building, because it’s unlikely you’ve ever seen a facade like this. And there aren’t many places where you can admire Yoko Ono’s butt, but that’s certainly the case here!
The only place dedicated to Fluxus in Europe
A colourful building covered with 316 metal plaques bearing the works of the last 30 years of the French artist Ben Vautier, known simply as Ben, who is 82 this year, stands out. The Fondation du Doute was opened in 2013 and is the only place in Europe dedicated to the Fluxus movement.
Fluxus, explains the Foundation guide (you shouldn’t call it a museum, she insists), is a form of art. It all started in New York when a group of artists recognized that “museums do not have the power to determine the value of art.” They also stated that one does not need to be educated to “see and understand art.” It’s an art form that embraces humor, music, and maybe a little anarchy. Remember this when wandering through the galleries of the Foundation because it really is very different.
A very eccentric art gallery
There’s a giant stone head reminiscent of breakfast in the movie Tiffany, but push your hand into it and you’ll likely hear a grown-up person with a distinctly sexual tone. The exhibition features an installation of car doors that bizarrely transform into an orchestra of hammer blows – literally, around 40 car doors being operated by hammers powered by small electric motors. A disconnected leg seems determined to kick a football that floats just above its reach, a rocking duck is a little scary. It’s childish, naive, weird and crazy.
A piano next to a haystack with a sign “for the piano to eat” makes most people smile. Picnics set up with cigarette butts seem to create a lot of discussion and “why”. It’s art made by crazy people, but it has a purpose: that we all have the ability to be creative and create art.
Take Yoko Ono’s butt. She took a picture of it and it hangs on a wall here with other pictures of butts, including Andy Warhol’s. You can’t tell which is which. “Is this art?” I hear one lady ask, looking at the neat row of buttocks and frowning. Well, that’s the thing, in a way, art is different things to different people.
It certainly makes you think, it might make you smile. You’ll probably talk about what it might mean or if it means anything. If you like wall art, you’ll love this place.
Ben’s Cafe, on the ground floor, is open to the public and is a lively meeting place for budding artists. It’s very quirky (imagine bathtubs as chairs and crude panels on the wall) but lots of fun and they do great coffee and snacks.
If you don’t like modern art, this is probably not for you, but if you are open-minded, appreciate art with irony, humor and sometimes a little silliness, you will love this place.
Consult the Fondation du Doute website in advance – it seems that it is also subject to special opening hours: www.fondationdudoute
For more information on the region, visit: www.bloischambord.co.uk ; www.valdeloire-france.com ; uk.france.fr/
