3 Quirky Art Installations to See Near Fontainebleau Forest 

Enjoy an artsy weekend around Milly-la-Forêt, located close to the vast Fontainebleau forest, and see three remarkable modern art installations.

Centred on French artists Tinguely, Saint-Phalle, Cocteau and Chomo, this art-themed escape brings you up close to these larger-than-life works of art. The upcoming Heritage Days (September 21-22 2024) offer the perfect opportunity to visit these astonishing sites. 

Le Cyclop by Tinguely and Saint-Phalle

Sculptor couple Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint-Phalle together with other artist friends (including César, Bernhard Luginbühl, Rico Weber and Daniel Spoerri) secretly (and illegally) built Le Cyclop, a 22.50m tall sculpture of a 350-ton, steel, one-eyed head (with bits that move of course as is the norm with Tinguely works) in Fontainebleau forest very close to the village of Milly-la-Forêt.  

The head lies in a clearing in the forest 600m from the carpark. It was built between 1969-1994, and in order to give it some legal standing the sculptors gifted it to the French state in 1987. Bits and pieces continued to be added until 1994 when it was officially inaugurated by President François Mitterrand and Niki de Saint-Phalle declared it finished. 

Over the years the work deteriorated as micro-organisms grew on it causing the 55,000 mirrors placed on it by Niki de Saint-Phalle to lose their silvering and fall off. The sculpture was entirely restored between 2021-2022. 

Le Cyclop is open from April to early November on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30-18:30 and during French school holidays from Wednesday to Sunday. Entrance to the site is free, but the tour costs €12 for adults, €8 for children from 8-18, students, the disabled, large families, etc. Please note that for safety reasons children under the age of 8 cannot be admitted on these tours even if accompanied by an adult. 

The Preludian Art Village by Chomo

Also hidden in the forest near Le Cyclop, this time in the small village of Paris-Forêt, is the extraordinary Preludian Art Village entirely created and built by sculptor/hermit Roger Chomeaux, known as Chomo, between 1960-1967. The three principal structures are the fabulous “Église des Pauvres” (church of the Poor), with “stained glass” windows made of glass bottles, the “Sanctuaire des Bois brûlés” (sanctuary of burned woods) and the “Refuge”. Chomo lived here until his death in June 1999 aged 92. 

Today managed by the Association des Amis de Chomo (friends of Chomo), the village is open from 11:00-18:00 every third weekend of the month from April to October (click here for exact dates). The entry fee is €5 except on 21st and 22nd September for the European Heritage Days when it’s €3. The village will also be open on 19th and 20th October. 

Jean Cocteau in Milly-la-Forêt

Also in Milly-la-Forêt visitors can see Jean Cocteau’s house and his tomb in the Chapelle Saint-Blaise des Simples, the last remaining building of a medieval leper colony, which Cocteau decorated with simple but striking frescoes currently being restored but still visible.  The chapel is open in September and October from Wednesday to Sunday from 14:00-18:00. It will close in November for the winter and re-open in April. You can check the opening times here. 

Visitors to Cocteau’s house/museum will see most of the rooms as they were when the artist/poet lived here with his partner, French actor Jean Marais between 1947 and his death in 1995. Opening hours: Thursday-Sunday from 11:00-18:00 and there’s a guided tour every half hour. The entry fee ranges from €9.50 to €6.50.