Fondation Carmignac’s Mediterranean Villa Opens on Porquerolles Island

The villa, a farmhouse renovated by Henri Vidal in the 1980s, now features ceilings that create underwater-like spaces with natural light for displaying artwork and a gallery space beneath the surface of the original structure, built to comply with the regulations of the park in which it resides. The Porquerolles Island gallery also includes a natural garden with works inspired by the island, designed to preserve the magical landscape that surrounds the villa.

The show “Sea of Desire,” named for Ed Ruscha’s painting bearing the same phrase, serves as a journey guided by our innate desires that is meant to allow the viewer to lose themselves in the art.

Through a series of eight chapters, including “Brave New World Revisited” and “Pop Icons Reloaded,” visitors explore the dualistic meanings of the each phrase (first, the drive of Eros and our desire for beauty, and second, our attraction to drama and the potential for destruction that comes with it). On display are works by artists like Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Sandro Botticelli, in addition to a selection of younger artists.