The mystery of the fig tree revealed" exhibition

Exhibition of photo-botanical plates by Christian Marcel. Courtesy of the City of Solliès-Pont. This exhibition promises to be multi-sensory!

The town of Ollioules hosts the exhibition "Le mystère du figuier révélé" (The mystery of the fig tree revealed), a visual and scientific journey to the heart of the discreet yet indispensable relationship between the fig tree and its pollinator: the blastophagus, a tiny, harmless wasp without which the fruit could not exist.

Through 27 large-format photo-botanical plates by Christian Marcel, the exhibition at the Musée de la fleur d'Ollioules et de l'olivier (Ollioules Flower and Olive Museum) reveals with precision and poetry every stage in the fig tree's reproduction: from budding to fruit ripening. Inspired by botanical plates from the XVIIᵉ and XVIIIᵉ centuries, these contemporary works combine scientific rigor, artistic aesthetics and pedagogy.

These scholarly images, enriched with textures and explanatory captions, will be complemented by equally dazzling sculptures by Dan K Rey, a creator of unique decorative pieces in fig wood, Métier d'art ollioulais.

Floral elixirs, gemmotherapy and fig-related perfumes will also be on display, offered by Maison Mandorle, a holistic boutique based in Ollioulais.