Fontainebleau Concretions Collectors Preview
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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON — TASWIRA GALLERY marks the beginning of a bold new era with its first major sculpture exhibition: Fontainebleau Concretions. This landmark presentation introduces Seattle audiences to the rare sandstone formations known as gogottes—sculptural marvels shaped by nature nearly 30 million years ago. With this debut, TASWIRA and The Passenger Collection bring to the city a vision of art, luxury, and cultural storytelling unlike anything Seattle has seen before.
Where Geology Meets Art History
Born in the Oligocene epoch, The Fontainebleau Concretions emerged when silica-rich groundwater bound the quartz sands of Fontainebleau, France, into curving, layered forms of uncanny elegance. With folds recalling Baroque drapery and contours echoing biomorphic abstraction, they occupy a rare position between natural phenomenon and sculptural masterpiece.
Their history is as extraordinary as their form. Louis XIV selected Fontainebleau Concretions to adorn the gardens of Versailles, most notably in the Grove of the Three Fountains designed by André Le Nôtre. Since then, they have traveled from royal grounds to museum collections, with monumental examples housed today at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the Natural History Museum in London.
Exhibition Highlights at TASWIRA
Visitors will encounter:
Monumental sculptures evoking Baroque drapery.
Smaller, jewel-like specimens presented as intimate sculptural treasures.
A curated dinner inspired by the exhibition, celebrating Seattle’s world-renowned culinary scene and drawing connections between form, flavor, and artistry.
A New Chapter: TASWIRA & The Passenger Collection in Seattle
Born of a friendship in Seattle between Valeria Likhova and Avery Barnes, united by a shared vision of creating exhibitions that dissolve boundaries between art, history, and lived experience. With Fontainebleau Concretions, TASWIRA launches its new sculpture program—introducing audiences to work of global significance while celebrating the artistry of the Earth itself.
The exhibition also marks the Seattle debut of The Passenger Collection, founded by Valeria Likhova. Known internationally for its immersive gatherings and curatorial collaborations, The Passenger Collection debuts as a platform where art and investment converge to shape the future of collecting.
Together, TASWIRA and The Passenger Collection usher in a new era of artistic exchange for the city—one defined by intimacy, rarity, and imagination.
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