An Evening About: Louis Le Roy

In the 1970s, Louis Le Roy became famous for his wild gardens, which anticipated today’s ecological thinking. Iris Vogt (Initiator of the Le Roy Academy and granddaughter of Louis and Inge Le Roy) opens the evening with a short presentation on his life and work. After that, garden architect Joost Emmerik talks to René Boer, Ronald Boer, and Maike van Stiphout about how Le Roy’s work continues to inspire contemporary designers.

Louis Le Roy
Le Roy (1924-2012) won global fame with his ecological approach to gardens, parks and cities. He experimented with interactions between plants, animals and people in ways that were groundbreaking for his time. This idiosyncratic artist and self-proclaimed ‘ecotect’ has been rediscovered in recent years. His work not only pushed the boundaries of art, but also anticipated today’s ecological thinking.

Iconic projects include the Eco-Cathedral in Mildam (1964-3000), the garden at his house in Oranjewoud (1962-2012) and the central reservation of the Kennedylaan in Heerenveen (1965-2105). His gardens are not fixed designs, but grow slowly on a base of piled construction waste. Time and nature play an important role. With the growing interest in ecology, biodiversity and sustainable nature management, there is a renewed interest in his work.

Garden Futures
This evening is organised in the context of Garden Futures: Designing with Nature, an exhibition on the history and future of the modern garden. The exhibition ran from 16 November 2024 to 13 April 2025.

An Evening With
An Evening With is a monthly lecture series featuring emerging and established international voices in design, architecture and digital culture. Designers and artists take you on a journey through their practice, sources of inspiration, fascinations and dreams for the future. An Evening About shows how a designer’s ideas live on in the work of the current generation.

Language: English | Location: Nieuwe Instituut | Tickets: € 12,50 / 7,50 / 0,-

Make your evening complete!
Combine this event with a visit to our exhibitions – admission to the museum is free on Thursday evenings. Fancy a bite to eat? Join us in the Nieuwe Café!