Permanent exhibition
At l'Observatoire
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Wanda Koop, Look Up, 2008 (detail) Oil on wood. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Blouin-Division, Montreal. Photo: Maxime Brouillet.
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Exhibition view of the Observatory. Left to right: Guy Pellerin (detail) and Roland Poulin. Photo: Maxime Brouillet.
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Olafur Eliasson, Round Rainbow, 2005. Acrylic glass, HMI light, motor, ring on tripod. Courtesy of the artist Photo: Maxime Brouillet.
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Exhibition view of l'Observatoire, Shefford. Left to right: Stéphane La rue (detail), Scott Lyall (detail), Marc Séguin (detail) and Pierre Dorion. Courtesy of the artists. Photo: Maxime Brouillet.
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The Observatory. Architecture: Pierre Thibault. Construction: Sajo
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View of the installation at the Observatory, including part of Richard Long’s work *Valle Pellice Stone Circle*, 1989.
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The Observatory is NOT accessible to people with limited mobility (there are stairs, and there are no seats or handrails).
Tours can be given in French and in English.
Please note that the exhibition is not suitable for children under 12.
Do you live in Shefford? We’d be happy to welcome you at no charge. Contact us at: info@fondationgiverny.org
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Spanning 5,000 square feet in the heart of the Shefford Mountains, the Observatoire serves as a contemporary setting for a permanent exhibition that aims to reflect an era; it is this quest for beauty, grandeur, and what will stand the test of time that guides the unique collector behind this project, François Rochon, toward the artists of his time, both local and international.
When François Rochon founded the asset management company Giverny Capital in 1998, he named it after Claude Monet's gardens at Giverny, which he had visited during a trip to France in 1990. This visit was to have a decisive impact on his future involvement in the art world; he began to dream of creating an art venue that could foster a similar balance between contemplation and disruption. The Observatoire is the materialization of this dream: created as a three-storey residence overlooking rich vegetation, it offers a space that encourages contemplation, while allowing for the presentation of striking works.
The project is the winner of the prestigious international architecture award Architecture MasterPrize 2025in the“CulturalArchitecture” category.
The Observatory presents an overview of the Giverny Capital Collection, bringing together the work of some forty renowned artists including Richard Long, Rodney Graham, Ron Terada, Sophie Calle, Michael Snow, William Kentridge, Julia Dault, Doris Salcedo, Anne Truitt, Roni Horn, Olafur Eliasson, Nicolas Baier, Pierre Dorion, Jocelyne Aloucherie, Edmund Alleyn and Manuel Mathieu.
The site is open to the general public from late spring through fall, by appointment.
Ron Terada, Five Coloured Words in Neon, 2003. Red, orange, yellow, blue and green neon. Courtesy of the artist and Catriona Jeffries Gallery, Vancouver. Photo: Maxime Brouillet.
