On the occasion of the European Night of Museums, on Saturday, May 17, 2025, the Palace of Versailles will open an exceptional venue for a night event: the Sculptures and Mouldings Gallery.
Event The European Night of Museums 2025
The sculptures talking
practical informations
- Free admission, without ticket reservation needed;
- Access via the Small Stables;
- From 7pm to 12am (last access 11pm).
Exceptionally, on Saturday May 17, 2025, the Palace of Versailles is offering a unique opportunity to discover the Sculptures and Mouldings Gallery, located in the Small Stables and housing collections from the Louvre Museum.
Three sculptural groups will come to life through sound and lighting (mapping), giving them a voice. These sculptures will directly address the public to share their stories, explore the links between sculpture and architecture, their connection to the Ancient world, and the concept of education through beauty…
The 3rd edition of the BAP! (Biennale of Architecture and Landscape) will provide an immersive experience with the exhibition Four Degrees Celsius Between You and Me, presented at the École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Versailles and the Maréchalerie, a contemporary art center.
Student Mediations
On Sunday, May 18, from 2 PM to 5 PM, students will take over the Sculptures and Mouldings Gallery to lead vibrant mediations. As part of a partnership with the Master's program in Research and Literary Creation at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, they will share literary and poetic texts created during writing workshops inspired by the sculptures of the Palace.
The sculptures and mouldings gallery
opening
During high season (April 1-October 31), the gallery is open on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, except Mondays and May 1, from 12:30pm to 6:30pm (last admission 5:45 pm).
Exceptional opening on Mondays, April 21, June 9, July 14 and Friday, August 15.
For the 3rd edition of the BAP! (Biennale d'architecture et de paysage), the Sculpture and Mouldings gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from May 7 to July 13.
The Sculptures and Mouldings Gallery by night © The Palace of Versailles / Thomas Garnier
The Small Stables were built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart at the same time as the Great Stables, between 1679 and 1682, to house the Court's coach horses and carriages. The two buildings are identical and symmetrical. The three great galleries that form today's Sculptures and Mouldings Gallery were originally occupied by stalls for horses. Now belonging to the Public Institution of Versailles, they have been completely restored and now house the Research and Restoration Centre for the Museums of France, the Versailles École nationale supérieure d’architecture, and various collections. Since 1970 the mouldings libraryA place that stores mouldings, statues or gypsums. of the Department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities of the Louvre Museum has been based in the Sculptures and Mouldings Gallery.
This collection of mouldings based on works from Antiquity is known for its ancient 17th and 18th century mouldings and a fine collection of Greek and Roman architecture.
Practical informations
- Free admission without reservation
- Opening hours: May 17 : 7pm-midnight (last entry 11pm) and May 18 : 2pm to 5pm
- Sculptures and Mouldings Gallery : entrance via the Honor Courtyard of the Small Stables)
- Exhibition Four Degrees Celsius Between You and Me : entrance via the Sceaux Avenue
Social networks
For this event, the palace of Versailles invites all visitors to share their experience on social networks: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, with the hashtag #Versaillesbynight.
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