The ruined castle at the top of the nearby village of Lacoste is one of our favorite spots in the Luberon, and we took our friends Lydia and Earl there on our way to dinner Sunday night. The castle dates back to the 11th century and is best known as the home of the notorious Marquis de Sade in the late 1700's. In 2001 the castle was bought by fashion designer Pierre Cardin, and we've watched its restoration over the four years we've been coming to this area.
Although the castle is private property, it's possible to climb up from the village and walk around in the moat or to drive up and observe the castle close-up from outside. The views from the castle grounds are wonderful.
Here's how the castle looked on Sunday evening:
We love the view across to Bonnieux, with the Grand Luberon rising above:
And here's the view out across the countryside toward Apt. I love the pattern of the farms and orchards in this plain. If you look closely, you'll even see some splashes of lavender.
But we didn't expect to find "Eros Thanatos" at the castle tonight. Read on!
It was a sculpture exhibition of about ten large pieces by a Russian sculptor named Alexander Burganov... and the name of the exhibit (Greek) might be related to Love and Death, or perhaps something deeper. (Google on these two words and you'll find yourself caught up in some pretty heavy discussions...) The exhibition was part of the "Festival Lacoste," an annual music and theater festival organized by Pierre Cardin in the open air theater he has created in the old quarry at the top of Lacoste.
So here's what else we found at the Marquis' castle on Sunday night:
(photo by Kelly)
The title of this sculpture was "Portrait de Marquis de Sade." Our family wondered why? Any thoughts on the sybolism of this sculpture? (photo by Kelly)
