Museums, gardens, monuments, streets… Art is welcome everywhere in Le Havre. It is a strong will of the City and it appeals to tourists and aesthetes. From Monet to Monsieur Goéland on their way for an unexpected stroll.
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Illusions
Le Havre has been cultivating its grain of madness with the Un Été au Havre festival since 2017. Each year, the city in the geometric city center welcomes monumental creations by artists from around the world. For this fifth edition, the chosen theme is that of illusion. The creators have given themselves to their hearts content and there is something to lose the north! A palm tree, off a jetty? Well no, it’s a sculpture in metal and plastic. A freighter under repair on the quay after an impressive collision? Lost ! It is a trompe-l’oeil painting, yet one would swear that it is true. An invasion of gulls on the facade of the monumental town hall? Not that easy…
As for the Greek statues in the garden of a villa, they like tattoos. So, if you dream of crossing giant gold nuggets or discovering the forest hidden in the courthouse, land in Le Havre this summer.
Multicolored legos
La Catène was initially an ephemeral work, created for the first Un été festival in Le Havre. These two arches are made of containers, symbol of the port city. La Catène was finally made permanent and the work is a delight for the curious, walkers and lovers of modern art. Everywhere in town, we come across monumental creations that fit easily into the historical and cultural heritage of Le Havre.
It is a major tourist asset of the city. It goes from characters in trompe l’oeil on the edges of false windows, to a moon posed in a public park to Monsieur Goéland, half-man, half-bird.
Impressive impressionists
Impressionist painters are well represented at the MuMa museum, the André-Malraux museum of modern art located at the entrance to the port. No wonder that. Claude Monet lived much of his youth in Le Havre. He then stayed there very regularly, finding a fruitful inspiration.
Today, the museum notably hosts The Seine in Vétheuil, Soleil d’hiver in Lavacourt, The Parliament of London and Les Nymphéas. The city is also full of nods to painters, with panels drawing a parallel between the place of inspiration and the pictorial achievement or even houses that have hosted some famous artists.
There is also an impressive collection of paintings by Eugène Boudin at the MuMa. It is the second most important collection of Eugène Boudin in the world, after that of the Louvre-Orsay. The André Malraux museum of modern art in Le Havre, the MuMa, is fortunate to be able to bring together a beautiful overview of this artist’s work. The paintings on display come largely from the painter’s studio background, donated by his brother in 1900, but also from donations, bequests and acquisitions.
Hanging gardens
On the heights of the city, the old fort was abandoned by the army and then by the gendarmerie. But in Le Havre, there is no question of making it a business incubator or residences. The place has become Hanging Gardens.
On the 17 hectares of the site, plots or greenhouses are planted with species of plants embodying the richness of the flora of 5 continents (Antarctica is not included). Cacti, succulents, trees, vegetables… They are all there. And art also has its entry into gardens. Paintings and sculptures create surprises, like this recumbent tree by Henrique Oliveira called Sisyphus.
