Over the past decade, the Domaine of Chaumont-sur- Loire has become a world center for the art of the garden, inviting artists from Asia to America to explore and sublime the special relationship between art and nature. Comprising 50-acre gardens and set against the backdrop of a romantic medieval castle and the sublime colors and landscapes of the Loire Valley, the site has now been classed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The 15th-century château once belonging to Catherine de Medecis was acquired by the prestigious Prince Amédée de Broglie family in the late 19th century and hosted the Parisian artistic and literary elite as well as foreign visitors such as the Mahradjah of Kapurthala, who famously offered a baby elephant to the owners as a gift. The château and its contents were sold to the Loire region just before WWII. In 1992, Chaumont became home to the International Garden Festival where it has hosted a series of highly creative exhibitions devoted to garden art and landscape art, exploring science, technology and art with a poetry and inventiveness that are beautifully rendered by Eric Sander's magnificent photographs.