La Grange

In 1944, one year after the birth of Gilles Clément, his parents acquired a house with a garden located next to the Éguzon Dam, very close to the border between the departments of Creuse and Indre.

La Grange, as they called it, would become far more than a holiday home, as Gilles would come to regard it as his true home. He was the youngest of a family of four: his father, Albert Clément, his mother, Denise Bourdet, and his brother Antoine.

This family property became his living space during the holidays of his childhood and youth. Swimming, running, and exploring the area around the house became everyday activities for him. His passion for nature flourished in this place, nurtured by his curiosity about everything around him.

He was particularly drawn to insects, especially butterflies, which fluttered in great numbers in the groves near the dam, notably in a small valley he named the Valley of Butterflies.

Childhood and youth passed peacefully in this natural paradise. However, in 1975, due to a family conflict that arose after his mother’s death, his father permanently denied him access to La Grange. This rejection plunged him, for a time, into profound sadness. For him, that day marked a turning point.

After his expulsion, Gilles Clément considered seeking a new place to live. To do so, he undertook a long search lasting nearly two years, traveling through much of France before finding the ideal place to build what he would call his garden-house.

Black-and-white photograph. 1960s.
The Valley