This wondrous work of outsider art feels like a true hidden gem. Nestled within a quiet village, it stands like an enchanting respite from reality; a treasure trove of paintings, sculptures, and carvings that seem to bring the architecture to life.

In 1968, Jacques Lucas and his wife Marie-France bought a row of abandoned houses that had been in ruins for decades. They worked for over a year to make their new property habitable. Around the same time, Lucas met a painter and sculptor named Robert Tatin. Their encounter sparked the beginning of La Maison Sculptée.

Lucas began putting up his own sculptures near the houses and covering their facades with beautiful paint. He spent over a decade slowly adding more sculptures to the space. Most of the artwork that fills the site was created in the mid-1980s, when he had the most free time to create. Though his property almost went up for auction in the 1990s, people rallied to save his beautiful works out outsider art.

Decades later, La Maison Sculptée is still standing strong. Colorful, carved sculptures fill the property, many carved with intricate designs. Walking beneath elaborate archways reveals a wealth of gardens scattered about the place, the plants hugging the art in a green embrace. Winding paths meander around small basins, waterways, and ponds that match perfectly with the artwork’s blue hues.