Grand Cour was the summer residence of French writer Jules Romains in Saint-Avertin, Indre et Loire, France. Among other accomplishments, Romains served as President of PEN International (the worldwide association of writers) from 1936 to 1941. His most famous work is Les Hommes de bonne volonté, a 27-volume cycle of novels, published between 1932 and 1946.

In 2019, Saint-Avertin commemorated the anniversary of the author’s arrival in the city with an extensive program. As part of the program, Lère, who grew up in Saint-Avertin,  was invited to contribute an art piece.

Lère remembered being told to be quiet when he passed by the house as a child: “the famous author was busy writing”. He decided to build a 3D wooden book representing Grand Cour.

The work was purchased by the Conseil départemental d’Indre et Loire, and is now in the collection of Saint-Avertin’s media library, at Château de Cangé.