Following the inaugural exhibition Sky and Earth in 2022, the Musée GRATALOUP opened its second season with The Trees Told Me, an exhibition conceived by Milena around one of the most enduring and emblematic themes in GRATALOUP’s work: the tree.

Present throughout his career, the tree was far more than a simple natural motif for the artist. A symbol of life, growth, transmission, and the connection between earth and sky, it gradually became a central element of his artistic and spiritual language. Through this recurring theme, GRATALOUP explored the cycles of life, humanity’s place within nature, and the profound relationships that unite all living beings.

For this exhibition, Milena brought together works spanning more than fifty years of creation. The journey began with the artist’s earliest research at the Villa Medici in Rome during the 1970s, notably the Matrix and Palm Tree Rubbings series, in which he first developed a fascination with vegetal structures and their symbolic power.

The exhibition continued through the major tree-themed series that marked his artistic career, including both monumental paintings and public artworks. Among the highlights were The Three Trees, created for the Galilée Tower in Paris-La Défense, a landmark work of his urban art practice, and the monumental stained-glass window The Tree of Life, created for Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris. Through these projects, the tree became a universal symbol linking art, architecture, heritage, and spirituality.

Visitors also discovered the final developments of this theme in the series Nimbus and Nebulae (2022) and From Above (2023), where trees appear in increasingly free and contemplative forms, immersed in light and cosmic space. These late works demonstrate the continuity of an inspiration that accompanied the artist until the very end of his life.

Designed as an immersive experience, the exhibition combined paintings, sound, and storytelling. Each artwork was accompanied by audio podcasts for both adults and children, offering multiple levels of interpretation. Beyond artistic discovery, these commentaries encouraged reflection on contemporary environmental issues and on our collective responsibility toward the living world.

Through this poetic, educational, and ecological approach, The Trees Told Me celebrated the beauty of nature while reminding visitors of its fragility. The exhibition fully embodied the mission of the Musée GRATALOUP: to preserve and transmit the artist’s work while inspiring visitors of all generations to reflect on the importance of protecting our planet and the delicate balance of life it sustains.