Galloping purple horses and a giant cosmonaut go on show in Versailles as contemporary art once again storms the royal palace despite complaints that Louis XIV would be turning in his grave.

Works by the French artist Xavier Veilhan will be on show from Sunday inside the Sun King's palace but also in its royal gardens and courtyards until mid-December.

In the first courtyard, visitors come face-to-face with the 50-foot long futuristic coach and horses, said to be a reference to the departure of the royal family on October 6, 1789, when the mob brought the king, the queen and their children to Paris".