ARTE Distribution

Dive into an iconic work of the Spanish architect Gaudí, Casa Batlló. This fantastic and magical building is less known than the Sagrada Família, but much more iconic in his work, since he managed to invite nature into the city...

Nowadays, the city of Barcelona cannot be dissociated from Gaudí, an artist who has always been inspired by Mediterranean culture – which shows in all his work. The Casa Batlló and its plant world in the heart of the city – design, color, shape, space and light – is the ideal combination of art and functionality, of architecture and design; it is a key building for understanding Catalan modernism... and for understanding the Gaudí myth!

Founding museums is a pastime among high-stakes collectors. Follow a magnificent Paris Museum restoration, where French Billionaire Francois Pinault showcases its art collection.

After five years of extraordinary renovation and construction work by Tadao Ando – one of today's greatest architects – François Pinault is preparing “Ouverture”, the museum's inaugural exhibition. This was an artistic and personal challenge for Pinault, a passionate collector and businessman at the height of his power, a billionaire and a non-conformist, as he defines himself.

Who was Raymond Loewy? A designer with the golden touch - such a genius that he could cross the US by air, rail, or road, stylishly seated in a plane, train, or automobile he'd designed himself!

French designer Raymond Loewy was a star when the American Way of Life was at its flamboyant capitalist peak. He styled his own destiny as a Hollywood thriller. After all, he was a tycoon, a New York celebrity. Yet by the end of his life, he’d been forgotten. He took the mystery of his iconic Coca-Cola bottle to the grave with him. The bigger they are, the harder they fall: One day, megalomania got the better of Loewy, and he came to a tragic end. Suspense, drama, twists of fate: Loewy invented the medium as the message.

This film proposes to show the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, to whom the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (the UNHCR) appointed the task in 1955 of studying emergency shelters, after the earthquake of Kobe.

Shelters which he designs in paperboard, an ephemeral and very cheap material, the format and thickness of which as desired, and which is light, easy and quick to manufacture. The Paper Loghouse turns out to be less expensive and faster to erect, store and re-cycle than any other type of shelter, whilst the heat insulating properties of paperboard enable it to be used in a great many countries.
Precarious, and fragile in appearance, the shelters of Shigeru Ban are a most faithful reflection of that moment when all that formerly seemed ours forever becomes suddenly lost.
The film will strive to show the approach of an architect in action, proposing a different attitude towards the dwelling - an architecture meeting the new needs of contemporary society.

Famous for its ghost, the Opéra Garnier of Paris is above all the product of a titanic building site and the symbol of the birth of a new era. From 1852 to 1870, eighteen years of flamboyance made Paris the capital of modernity.

This documentary  - written by Stéphane Landowski  -  aims to tell the story of the great Paris construction of the Garnier Opera House, which lasted 14 years (from 1861 to 1875). While plunging into the backstage, its wheels and its legends, it will explain the special place it occupied in what Nietzsche called the "civilization of opera", the golden age of the bourgeoisie based on the appearance and the spectacular, which was then put in place. By the admission of Charles Garnier, the Opera as a whole was to serve as stage for the new elite of the time.
 
From the story of its construction and architectural details, we will open windows on historical, social, political and artistic themes that will be treated to the image by paintings, period photos, film clips, animations in 3D and historical evocations (fiction). We will also call on specialized speakers on these different themes. Interviewed in studio and in situ, they will guide us, step by step, in this building still alive and full of anecdotes. Throughout the story, we will also follow the myth of the ghost, invented from scratch by the novelist Gaston Leroux, and so well integrated into the monument that it remains today THE symbol and an important key to understanding. Finally, music and ballet will be present in this film, in the form of musical excerpts and lyrical performances.

Discover the hidden artistic treasures behind the construction of iconic monuments. How they fit into art history and have been preserved until today. With: the Castle of Fontainebleau, the Chauvet cave, Wagner’s Opera in Bayreuth... and many others.

In each episode, you discover little known aspects of the greatest European monuments and the secrets behind their outstanding architecture.
Visit places that are inaccessible and parts of the building that are restricted to the public.
Architects, archeologists, artists, landscapers, curators or art restorers will guide your visit. Their insight will help you learn the intricacies of each site and the links they hold to art history.

The Mediterranean is home to the world’s highest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Its stunning wealth means that veritable gems get left in the shade – the forgotten treasures of the Mediterranean.

Each film is like a fantastic story that takes viewers on a tremendous journey to discover a forgotten treasure, country, history, know-how of men and women.
 
The NATIONAL MUSEUM OF UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY OF CARTAGENA is already available in English!

Placing the art of design in its sociological and technological context, the DESIGN collection tells the story of the 20th century through the industrial objects that have made their mark on it. The objects reflect their time, while at the same time anticipating the future.

Just like a piece of art, an industrial object is a mirror of its era, though in a more direct and explicit manner than a painting or a sculpture. The industrial object obeys two fundamental criteria: It needs to be functional, perform its task in daily life - and after all must be sold. Therefore, it has to be technically innovative and esthetically pleasant.

The series, rather than explaining last century's objects, uses them to zoom on different periods. Which invites the audience not so much on a tour through museums, but on a journey in time. Archive images illustrate the political, social and cultural situation of a defined chapter from our past, via film extracts, cultural presentations, popular music etc. The history of the object itself, its conception, creators, fabrication and a contemporary frame story join in to build a bridge between the past and the present.

2004 : International Festival of Art Film, Montreal - Best "essai" of the Emile-Nelligan Foundation for the AKARI LAMPS.

The most remarkable achievements in modern architecture, from the works that heralded the birth of the modern style at the end of the 19th century to the latest designs by today's top architects.

An ongoing series of films devoted to the most remarkable achievements in modern architecture, from the works that heralded the birth of the modern style at the end of the 19th century to the latest designs by today's top architects. Each film examines the structure of the building, the architectural techniques as well as its cultural and historical influences. By examining a key building in detail the series brings light to its rôle in the evolution of architecture.

 

2002 : Festival International Du Film Sur L'Art FIFA - Prix Du Meilleur Film Educatif Du Ministère des Affaires Municipales et de la Métropole for The Johnson Building. 2001 : Rencontres Internationales Du Patrimoine Architectural MIPA, Prix de la Meilleure Réalisation for The Siza School. 2000 : Festival Du Film Ferroviaire - Cinérail de Bronze for Lyon Satolas-TGV.

An original look at contemporary gardens focusing on examples of the most recent landscaping efforts. We learn from those who find innovative solutions that provide us with those poetic breathing spaces in an increasingly urbanized world.

Landscape architect Jean-Philippe Teyssier takes us on a discovery of the most beautiful gardens in France and the world. The gardeners, landscapers, horticulturalists, architects, historians and estate managers he meets unveil the art of gardening.
They show us how gardens have been designed, planted and maintained over the centuries. The exceptional gardens Jean-Philippe Teyssier visits make up a myriad of passions, journeys, colors and shapes.
ALREADY AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH : 
29 - BLENHEIM - GRANDE-BRETAGNE
38 - PETERHOFF - RUSSIE
 
 

For the Eiffel Tower's 130th birthday, this film recounts the incredible epic of its construction. It was erected in record time at the end of the 19th century – it was the largest and craziest building ever built at the time.

Delve into the Eiffel Tower's breathtaking history, from its construction to the present day – thanks to spectacular images and an original 3D vision that retraces the main stages of its construction step by step.
Pascal Ory has dedicated his life to the Eiffel Tower. This historian has spent several decades understanding and deciphering the construction of the iconic tower. Two years ago he embarked on an incredible project: with one of the greatest specialists in 3D animation, he has been recreating the erection of the Iron Lady in moving images – step by step. The history of its construction has been anything but an easy task. Gustave Eiffel, its brilliant inventor, had numerous and powerful opponents. But against the odds, the first foundation holes were dug in 1887. In just two years, what was certainly one of humankind's most beautiful creations had been completed. Its inauguration took place during the 1889 Universal Exhibition.
Gustave Eiffel then fought tooth and nail to save it, because it was to be destroyed after twenty years! Discover the amazing tale behind the emblematic monument. We will also discover the Eiffel Tower of today – the French symbol that attracts nearly 10 million visitors each year.
We will witness its stripping to find the Tower's original color pigment – it has been repainted every seven years since its construction, in accordance with Gustave Eiffel's wishes.
 
And enjoy a grandiose privilege: we will be behind the scenes alongside the lovers of the Tower for the preparation of a fabulous show for its 130th anniversary. This 52-minute film is a great opportunity to admire the beautiful Iron Lady in a way you have never seen it before.

Balthus, Fragonard or Berlioz stayed there. Up until now, little has been said about the Villa Medici, but the veil is lifting. The Villa, which houses the French Academy in Rome founded 350 years ago, reveals its history alongside that of its residents.

Our guides are art historians, restorers, current and former residents, and directors and curators. The documentary takes a unique plunge into the intimate history of the place that is admired by many and criticized by some, but considered universally to be a “Dolce Villa”.