I went down into my garden... Destinies of Candide

The exhibition takes curious visitors to the heart of Candide's imaginary garden , following him on his many journeys.

If there is one work by Voltaire that is truly universally known, it is Candide. Who has not heard of the love affair between this singular character and the beautiful Cunégonde, or of his journey to El Dorado? The success of this little tale, written at Les Délices, surprised even its author, who was probably more interested in his historical works or philosophical treatises. Yet the prodigious success of the work has never waned. Dozens of imitations were produced in the decades following its publication. In the 20th century, one of the most popular operas in the United States was created, thanks to Bernstein, on Voltaire's theme. The cinema, in turn, has not failed to pay tribute to the tale, whose eponymous character, played in Norbert Carbonneaux's version by Jean-Pierre Cassel, remains in everyone's mind more than sixty years later.

Exhibition presented by the Centre des monuments nationaux, the fruit of collaboration between the Société Voltaire, the Centre international d'étude du XVIIIe siècle, the Association Voltaire à Ferney and the Bibliothèque de Genève.

At the centre of the story is the garden, which Candide tells us must be "cultivated". As the starting point - and end point - of the exhibition, the garden will be examined in its biographical dimensions (Voltaire came up with the idea at the same time as he was developing his own garden, at Les Délices), philosophical dimensions (to what extent did Voltaire refer to the Ancients for this particular element?), religious (doesn't Candide's garden compete with the Garden of Eden?) and literary (since Boccaccio, hasn't the garden been the best place to converse and indulge in the pleasures of literature?) But to reach this garden, we have to go through all sorts of stages and follow the Voltairean hero on his many peregrinations. So let's travel with Candide.

This journey will allow us to assess the impact of the tale at the beginning of the 21st century. At a time when we seem to be losing our bearings, does Candide still have something to say to us? Do we still have the means to understand what Voltaire, in the heart of the 18th century, was trying to convey to his contemporaries? Or perhaps, on the contrary, our decaying period is paradoxically the best time to reread Voltaire's prose and listen attentively to the lessons of Pangloss? That would be an amusing turn of events.

Quickly, then, let us re-open this magical book, and follow our hero step by step, just as he himself tried to pursue the beautiful Cunégonde, despite the difficulties and through a thousand obstacles.

Scientific commissioner :

M. Flávio Borda d'Água M. Loïc DechambenoitMmeStéphanie Géhanne GavotyM. François Jacob Mme Ulla KölvingM. André Magnan

Set design :

Mr Jean-Louis Janin Daviet

General coordinator :

François-Xavier Verger, Administrator at the Château de Voltaire in Ferney

Major partners :

Bibliothèque de Genève - Les DélicesL'association Voltaire à FerneySociété VoltaireLe centre MARGE de l'Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 (EA 3712) Le Centre international d'étude du XVIIIe siècle

The exhibition benefits from loans from institutions, private collectors and galleries.