Caen Town Hall, Caen (FR) 12 May 2026
Join the Fondation at the Époque festival
The Fondation Gandur pour l’Art will be taking part in the Époque Festival and Book Fair on 30 and 31 May 2026 in Caen to present its latest publication, Decorative Arts (II): Savoir-faire and the Art of Living, offering an immersion into European decorative creation during the Early Modern period (16th–18th centuries) through a major ensemble of furniture, objets d’art and clocks preserved within the collections.
The Fondation Gandur pour l'Art will be hosting a range of activities and events during the festival:
Collection Catalogue Stand and Sales
Imaginarium, Caen Town Hall
Saturday 30 May, 10.00 am – 7.00 pm
Sunday 31 May, 10.00 am – 6.00 pm
Signing sessions with Jean Claude Gandur on Saturday: 11.30 am–12.30 pm and 2.30 pm–3.30 pm.
Youth Workshops – Escape Through Play: Backgammon - An introduction to board games during the Age of Enlightenment
Led by Vincent Fournié (Jeux M’amuse games library)
During the Age of Enlightenment, philosophers, writers and intellectuals gathered in fashionable salons to converse and… play games. To take part in these important social occasions, one needed to be familiar with the rules of numerous board games.
Among them was the French game of trictrac, while in England its cousin, the famous backgammon, was gaining popularity. A game with a long history, which continues to this day to enliven evenings with family and friends.
Workshop I, Caen Town Hall
Saturday 30 May, 4.00 pm – 5.00 pm
Saturday 30 May, 5.00 pm – 6.00 pm
Advance booking required
Lecture – Travel Objects, Travelling Objects. 16th–18th Century Collection of the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art
To mark the publication of Decorative Arts (II): Craftsmanship and the Art of Living, the Fondation Gandur pour l'Art invites audiences to explore, through its collections, the relationship between travel and the objects that embellished the daily lives of European elites from the Renaissance to the Age of Enlightenment.
Chests, portable cabinets, caskets and various cases accompanied their owners on their journeys. These elites were also fond of objects from distant lands, reworked, embellished and adapted to suit their needs, such as ceramics and lacquer elements from the Far East. Finally, the decoration of certain pieces of furniture bears direct witness to the journeys undertaken by the objects and their owners across empires and continents.
Speakers:
Fabienne Fravalo, Curator of the Decorative Arts Collection, Fondation Gandur pour l’Art
Sophie Mouquin, Senior Lecturer, Université de Lille
Caroline Heering, Professor, Université catholique de Louvain
With an introduction by Jean Claude Gandur, Founder and President of the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art
Jean-Pierre Dautel Conservatory Auditorium
Sunday 31 May, 4.30 pm
