J'ai descendu dans mon jardin…Destinées de Candide exhibition

Come and (re)discover the famous tale written by Voltaire in 1759 in Geneva, and all that it still has to teach us today, at the Château de Voltaire!
The exhibition takes curious visitors into the heart of Candide’s imaginary garden, following him on his many journeys.

If there’s one work by Voltaire that’s universally known, it’s Candide. Who hasn’t heard of this singular character’s love affair with the beautiful Cunégonde, or his journey to Eldorado? The success of this little tale, conceived at Les Délices, surprised even its author, who was probably counting more on his historical works or philosophical treatises. Yet the prodigious success of the work has never wavered. Dozens of imitations appeared in the decades following its publication. In the 20th century, one of the most popular operas in the USA was created, thanks to Bernstein, on Voltaire’s theme. The cinema, in turn, has not failed to pay tribute to the tale, whose eponymous character, played in Norbert Carbonneaux’s version by Jean-Pierre Cassel, remains in everyone’s mind more than sixty years later.

This exhibition, presented by the Centre des monuments nationaux, is the fruit of collaboration between the Société Voltaire, the Centre international d’étude du XVIIIe siècle, the Association Voltaire à Ferney and the Bibliothèque de Genève.