History

In 2017, fragments of the garden were discovered by landscape designer Alexander Grivko, who breathed new life into this place. He brought together historical and artistic elements of the old garden and contemporary architectural ideas.

In two years only he managed to create a garden that looks half a century old. To achieve such a feat he used the principles of André Le Nôtre, gardener of King Louis XIV. This historically-acclaimed French master in the art of gardening famously designed the royal gardens and parks of Versailles. To do so in record time, Le Nôtre limited himself to only a few plant species, thus achieving a striking visual effect through expressively trimmed plants.

The space of Jardins d'Étretat abounds with impressively-scaled plant compositions, the shapes of which are evocative of the natural and historical features of Normandy. There you will observe "waves of La Manche", "spirals and marine whirlpools", "oyster farms", "cliffs and of the Alabaster Coast", etc. In balance between the natural beauty of the ecosystem and architectural achievements, more than a hundred thousand plants provide the gardens their beauty throughout the year.

In two years only he managed to create a garden that looks like half a century old. To achieve such a feat he used the principles of André Le Nôtre, gardener of King Louis XIV. This historically-acclaimed French master in the art of gardening famously designed the royal gardens and parks of Versailles. To do so in record time, Le Nôtre limited himself to only a few plant species, thus achieving a striking visual effect through expressively trimmed plant compositions.

The space of Les Jardins d'Étretat abounds with impressively-scaled plant compositions, the shapes of which are evocative of the natural and historical features of Normandy. There you will observe "waves of La Manche", "spirals and marine whirlpools", "oyster farms", "cliffs and of the Alabaster Coast", etc. In balance between the natural beauty of the ecosystem and architectural achievements, more than a hundred thousand plants provide the gardens their beauty throughout the year.

Alexandre Grivko managed to create a garden that appears at least half a century old within just two years. To achieve this goal, the architect drew from the methodology of André Le Nôtre, the historically acclaimed French landscape and gardening artist, and the master-creator of gardens and parks at Versailles. As he set to complete his work at Versailles in record time, Le Nôtre limited himself only a few plant species, thus, achieving a striking visual effect through expressively trimmed plant compositions.

The space of Les Jardins d'Étretat is arranged with the help of impressively-scaled plant compositions, the shapes of which are evocative of the landscapes and the natural features of Normandy. There you will observe plants with different shapes: "waves of the La Manche", "spirals and marine whirlpools", "oyster farms", "cliffs and arches of the Alabaster Coast", etc. It is an opportunity to highlight the biodiversity and natural beauty of the ecosystem, as well as to demonstrate new sculptural forms and new architectural processes in landscape art.

Jardins d'Étretat aim to maintain a constant dialogue between art and nature. Impressive interplay of trimmed plants and artworks gives each part of the garden a unique atmosphere and character, turning them into an unconventional art space. Yet the primary goal is not only to exhibit works of art, but to provide contemporary artists with resources and opportunities to enrich the cultural heritage of Normandy. Therefore, Jardins d’Etretat regularly initiate cultural projects of various scales, from art interventions in the garden (Sasha Frolova in 2018, Venera Kazarova in 2019, Romain Lalire in 2023) to international exhibitions (Double Jeu in 2020) and art residencies of various duration (Ellen Sheidlin in 2022, Isabel Judez and Iga Vandenhove in 2023).