The Tarot Garden or, in Italian: Giardino Dei Tarocchi, is a whimsical sculpture exhibition which is located in Tuscany near Pescia Fiorentina. The garden is modeled after Antonio Gaudi’s Parc Guell in Barcelona. Those familiar with Gaudi know he has a brand of architecture which is modern, creative, colorful and playful. Barcelona is inspired by Gaudi’s works and the cathedral which is still in progression.
The Tarot Garden is the mastermind of French-American artist; Niki de Saint Phalle. It is quite unique and I came across the images on Instagram. It might be a secret garden to those outside the European radar. De Saint Phalle has collaborated with many artists who have engraved their names into work. It is like an amusement park, but it is a land of symbolic sculpture. It seems part child like and part adult. It took 20 years to develop and opened in 1988. De Saint Phalle lived in The Sphinx while working on the project. Spend a few hours seeing the colorful ceramic mosaic painted creations with mirrored pieces on reinforced concrete. The materials which have been used to build these 22 elaborate creations. Sculpture themes are; The Sphinx, The Golden Skelton, The Hanging Man (death theme), The Priestess, The Castle, The Devil, The Moon, The Oracle and The Hermit. I do not fully understand the mythology, religious, mysticism, predictions, space, time or deeper interpretive meanings, but one can read the website in more detail and watch videos. The collection is based on tarot cards and combines imagery and nature in a dream like state. The creative designers put thought into the color, shapes, textures, materials, placement, design , philosophy and detailed subjects. One wanders through the garden maze and leaves, feeling as if they have escaped the world of time and place.
The Cosmopolitan Compact 