The Centre des Monuments Nationaux invites us from now until the end of the year, to a very original series of exhibitions based on animals which have lived in top-ranking national heritage establishments. Throughout France, 36 monuments, from chateaux to monasteries, will be housing the works of internationally renowned contemporary artists such as the ceramist Johan Creten, the Belgian artist Birlinde de Bruyckere, famous for her spectacular taxidermy work with horses, or the Swiss mixed-media artist and performer Ugo Rondinone.

The launch will take place in the heart of Paris at the Museum of Hunting and Nature, with a black and white photo essay capturing the animals in close up, both those existing in the monuments and the bestiaries that can be found at each of the sites (sculptures, tapestries, paintings…).

Several installations, both in Paris and Ile-de France (that of Ghyslain Bertholon at the Hôtel de Sully or Fabrice Langlade at the Château de Champs-sur-Marne) will be exhibited until the end of the year, as will photographic exhibitions (at the Villa Savoye in Poissy or the Sainte Chapelle at the Château de Vincennes) and exhibitions of contemporary or classical works (Château de Maisons-Laffitte, Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, Basilique Saint-Denis).

The event will be brought to a close with a spectacular exhibition at the Conciergerie, Bêtes off, from autumn 2011 until February 2012. Bêtes off takes you on a journey through a wild forest installation within the monument that is filled with “beasts” and strange creatures.