French sculptor Jean-Michel Othoniel has transformed the southern French city of Avignon into a dazzling installation with thousands of hand-blown glass beads.
Not even the artist himself knows exactly how many beads were used. Othoniel says he has realised his most comprehensive and ambitious project to date for Avignon.
Under the title "Cosmos or the Ghosts of Love," the 61-year-old is exhibiting his work at ten locations in the historic city, including chapels, museums, and public spaces, according to the organisers. The exhibition began on Saturday and will continue until 4 January 2026.
Othoniel is showing a total of 240 works, 160 of which are being exhibited in France for the first time.
The centrepiece is the city's famous medieval papal palace. Othoniel is exhibiting in 15 halls and chapels of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, including the former bedroom of the pope.
Particularly monumental is the 10-metre-high astrolabe – a historical instrument for determining the positions of stars – which towers over the palace’s courtyard of honour.
Equally spectacular is the giant sculpture on the world-famous Saint Bénézet bridge.
Othoniel, internationally known for his playful, poetic glass bead sculptures, made a name for himself at Documenta IX in 1992 – at that time with organic forms made of sulphur – before beginning his collaboration with the glass-blowers of Murano in Italy.—dpa
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