Alexandre de Vogüé: Living Vaux-le-Vicomte

The Château Vaux-le-Vicomte was built by Louis XIV’s Superintendent of Finances Nicolas Fouquet, who engaged Louis Le Vau, architect, André Le Nôtre, garden designer, and the painter Charles Le Brun. The result was so splendid that the King suspected Fouquet of misappropriating funds and had him imprisoned for life, then engaged the same team to build his palace at Versailles. Today, Vaux-le-Vicomte is the largest private estate in France, owned by the family of Count Patrice de Vogüé. For Alexandre de Vogüé, his son, this architectural star is simply “home,” and Le Nôtre’s famed gardens his “back yard.” The Arts Arena welcomes Alexandre de Vogüé to speak of living Vaux-le-Vicomte.