LOIRE VALLEY— France’s Loire region is known for a few very good things: prized wines such as Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, sumptuous châteaux and the source of the country’s longest river, from which the area garners its name. From June 5 through August 16, that mighty waterway serves as the backdrop for an extraordinary exhibition of installations. "Estuaire" is the second phase of a three-part biennial that began in 2007 and is backed by local governments as well as corporate sponsors. The 28 artworks on view this year will be concentrated in Saint-Nazaire and Nantes, with some pieces spread out along the 40-mile stretch of riverfront between the two cities. Participating artists include the Brazilian fabric shaper Ernesto Neto, who is contributing his outsized Leviathan Thot, 2006, previously shown in Paris at the Panthéon; and the provocative Dutch artist Joep van Lieshout, who is displaying his conceptual building Absence. Art lovers are encouraged to go with the flow aboard the fair’s 200-passenger boat that will ply the river, offering glimpses of many of the featured pieces.

"At River's Edge" originally appeared in the June 2009 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's June 2009 Table of Contents.