The Tour aux Figures is one of the signature works of the French painter, sculptor and visual artist Jean Dubuffet (1901–1985). It was created in Issy-les-Moulineaux between 1985 and 1988, listed in 1992 and designated a Historic Monument in 2008. The result of a public commission from the Centre National des Arts Plastiques in 1983, it is a “monumental painting”, erected in the park on Île Saint-Germain. The work was transferred to the Hauts-de-Seine Department in 2015 to ensure its preservation.
For its construction, architect Antoine Butor drew up plans for a 24-metre-high reinforced concrete framework, covered by a double skin. The outer skin consists of epoxy coated with polyurethane paints, and the inner skin of plaster sprayed onto reinforced cardboard. The whole structure was meticulously built according to Jean Dubuffet’s drawings and models: Dubuffet, who died at the start of construction, never saw the finished work.
Originally intended for special viewings, it opened its doors to the public in 2020 following extensive restoration, enhancement and upgrading work. The Gastrolove, this astonishing labyrinth some 100 metres long with no view of the outside world or natural light, can now be visited by appointment.
Weather-related damage inside the tower has led the department to consider new works to enable the control of conservation conditions and the management of the artwork’s environmental factors.
To fulfil this remit, the devauxdevaux agency has teamed up with Atelier Franck Boutté and the engineering consultancy Rabier Fluides Concept to undertake a holistic review of this unusual monumental artwork, with a view to keeping it open to the public and ensuring its long-term preservation.
The Tour aux Figures is one of the signature works of the French painter, sculptor and visual artist Jean Dubuffet (1901–1985). It was created in Issy-les-Moulineaux between 1985 and 1988, listed in 1992 and designated a Historic Monument in 2008. The result of a public commission from the Centre National des Arts Plastiques in 1983, it is a “monumental painting”, erected in the park on Île Saint-Germain. The work was transferred to the Hauts-de-Seine Department in 2015 to ensure its preservation.
For its construction, architect Antoine Butor drew up plans for a 24-metre-high reinforced concrete framework, covered by a double skin. The outer skin consists of epoxy coated with polyurethane paints, and the inner skin of plaster sprayed onto reinforced cardboard. The whole structure was meticulously built according to Jean Dubuffet’s drawings and models: Dubuffet, who died at the start of construction, never saw the finished work.
Originally intended for special viewings, it opened its doors to the public in 2020 following extensive restoration, enhancement and upgrading work. The Gastrolove, this astonishing labyrinth some 100 metres long with no view of the outside world or natural light, can now be visited by appointment.
Weather-related damage inside the tower has led the department to consider new works to enable the control of conservation conditions and the management of the artwork’s environmental factors.
To fulfil this remit, the devauxdevaux agency has teamed up with Atelier Franck Boutté and the engineering consultancy Rabier Fluides Concept to undertake a holistic review of this unusual monumental artwork, with a view to keeping it open to the public and ensuring its long-term preservation.
Rabier Fluides Concept, BET fluides et CVC
Atelier Franck Boutté, BET environnement
