The Gardens of La Gara

Friday, April 13, 2018

10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Restoring an 18th-century Estate in Geneva, Switzerland

La Gara is an 18th-century country estate in Jussy, a village near Geneva, Switzerland. It stands in the tradition of the ferme ornée, a villa with agricultural and ornamental features following ancient Roman models. From 2001–2017 the renowned Belgian landscape architect Erik Dhont reinterpreted and subtly redesigned the gardens and surrounding grounds, completed by a palindromic labyrinth designed by Swiss artist Markus Raetz. A new book tells the full story of the La Gara estate and illustrates its beauty. It is a case study that touches on all dimensions of garden art, from social and political factors that trigger new garden styles, to the aesthetics of the creation of gardens, as well as horticultural techniques and landscape management measures to foster biodiversity.

Erik Dhont and Anette Freytag will lecture and present their new book together with graphic designers Madeleine Stahel and Tiziana Artemisio.

A coffee reception jointly offered by the Austrian and Belgian Consulates General in New York will precede the presentations at 10:30 a.m. in the Rotunda on the 4th floor of the Library Building.

Please enter the Garden through the Mosholu Entrance, 2950 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY

About the Speakers

Erik Dhont and Anette Freytag

Erik Dhont has worked on a wide range of projects both private and public, since launching his career as a landscape architect in 1989. Whether a commission is concerned with the restoration of an old garden or the creation of a new space, his focus is always on discovering and conceptualizing elements of the past while integrating the practical requirements of the present. The gardens are places of pleasure to be enjoyed, and at the same time spaces that induce relaxation and personal development.

Dr. Anette Freytag is Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. She was formerly Head of Research and Senior Lecturer at the Chair of Landscape Architecture at the ETH Zürich, Switzerland. Her monograph on the work of the Swiss landscape architect Dieter Kienast (1945–1998) has been awarded several prizes. In addition to her research on contemporary landscape architecture, she is engaged in the protection and conservation of architectural ensembles.

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