Hoof it down!

This horse fair explores all aspect of the relationship between man and his noblest of conquests.
Themed villages present horse breeding, horse riding, equestrian sports and artistic horse rides...
The day will include demonstrations, events and shows.

Corot in Normandy.

In the Footsteps of Corot in Normandy is an exhibition which traces the links between the Impressionist painter Camille Corot and Normandy. You'll find works featuring landscapes of Normandy, with landmarks and sites which were particularly dear to the artist, and these will be complemented by photographs of artists from the nineteenth and twentieth century.
This exhibition ties in with the "Impressionist Normandy" festival.

It's all fun and games!

The season begins with this games festival in which young and old are invited to play with wooden toys from around the world. There will be a giant chess set and board games to try out.

Something for everyone.

This fair has been drawing crowds for 45 years. Here, you can find a bit of everything at all kinds of prices: shoes, clothes, plates... A piece of advice before coming, wear a pair of trainers because the fair is so big that two days might not be enough to discover it all.

Yachting over the years.

The exhibition traces the story of sailing, its official recognition in 1850 which led to the democratisation of this pastime as something for all.

From 3rd July 2010, to tie in with the traditional ceremony of the blessing of the sea on Wednesday 18th July in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, the museum will welcome visitors curous about the local history of major maritime events: regattas, benedictions, and sea festivals in Normandy.

Landscapes of light.

To tie in with the Impressionist Normandy festival which is taking place all over the region this summer, the Museum of Fine Arts in Cherbourg is putting on this exhibition on Jean-François Millet and his landscapes of Nord-Cotentin. Oils, pastels and drawings from all over the world will be gathered together at the museum for this special occasion.
Millet's studies of light were to make him an important precusor to the Impressionist movement.

Relive the history of Puy du Fou.

On a stage more than fifty acres wide, we travel back in time, accompanied by a host of 1100 actors, with a cinema-quality soundtrack and a deluge of special effects.
Relive the glory days of Puy du Fou, from the middle ages to the Second World War.

More than two hours of emotion and seven hundred years of history go into a giant open-air show that has already attracted more than seven million spectators.

Here's one I made earlier…

Whether you are a newcomer seeking fresh ideas, an experienced artist wanting to perfect your craft, or a professional hunting out the latest trends and materials, the Salon Créativa is the place for you. The real selling point of the fair is its focus on workshops. Professionals will be there to demonstrate the latest techniques and products, answer questions and give tips and advice.

Four permanent workshops run throughout the week where you can try out one of the 70 crafts on offer, from dressmaking to patchwork or mosaics.

The fair brings together 160 exhibitors in a 8 000 m² exhibition space - you will find specialists in sewing, handicrafts, fine-arts, floral decoration, children's activities, etc.

Experience the satisfaction of having something crafted from your own two hands.

Fighting against breast cancer

A women’s race in a number of cities, it is a running race exclusively for women (over 10km and 5km) although men can run without a number and in disguise - as women, of course!

The two courses will incorporate the best sites of the cities through which they run.

Registration fees will go to societies that are fighting against breast cancer.

Heritage in the spotlight.

The Musicales de Normandie is a festival that aims to put Normandy's architectural heritage in the limelight by organising a series of classical and traditional concerts, in cultural venues such as Rouen Cathedral, Jumièges Abbey, Parc du Bois des Moutiers, Château d’Etelan, Manoir de Villers, Abbatiale Saint-Ouen, Evreux Cathedral, Château de Gaillon, etc.
Every week, music in a variety of styles will be filling the soundwaves thanks to a great team effort by local businesses and municipal workers.

The forerunner of impressionism.

The exhibition is dedicated to Leon Riesener (1808 - 1878), and it is the Museums of Lisieux which together hold the most important public collection of his work in the world, consisting of paintings, graphic works and daguerreotypes. This exhibition will demonstrate how the stylistic evolution of this artist's work shows him to be an important precursor to the Impressionist movement.

Leon Riesener visited Normandy many times from a very young age, with his cousin Eugene Delacroix. In 1857, driven by the need for new impressions and some solitude, Riesener bought a mill in Benzeval, where he continued his research on colour and then on the division of tones. With his subjects and his style of painting, Riesener was to pique the interest of younger artists such as Berthe Morisot, Renoir and Degas. At his death, the Impressionists were to pay him a special tribute. Renoir engraved a portrait of the older artist on the front page of la Vie Moderne in the issue of 17 April 1879.

Summer of impressionism in Normandy.

The birthplace of impressionism, Normandy is closely linked with this artistic movement. This new festival Impressionist Normandy will run from June to September 2010.
Exhibitions, sound and light shows, recitals, concerts, conferences, dances and picnics will enliven many towns and rural areas in the region.
As part of this festival there will be a major exhibition A Town for Impressionism: Monet, Gauguin and Pissarro in Rouen at the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen. You will also have the opportunity to discover the lesser known aspects of this artistic movement, with a print exhibition at the Fine Art Museum in Caen and ceramics of this period on display at the Ceramic Museum in Rouen.
Now you just need to decide what to see first!

An exceptional collection of drawings.

In 2004 Hélène Senn-Foulds donated a collection which belonged to her grandfather, Olivier Senn, to the Malraux Museum. This passionate collector with refined and sensitive tastes amassed a noteworthy collection of the art of his time.
Among the 205 or so works by artists such as Courbet, Delacroix, Corot, Pissarro, Renoir, Monet, Sisley, Sérusier, Vallotton, Bonnard, Marquet, Matisse and Derain, the collection also includes an exceptional selection of drawings and pastels by Degas, many of which have never before been exhibited in public.

Most of these works were executed in the artist's youth: preparatory drawings for major works. This is a collection which bears witness to the original and refined taste of this collector who did not just buy at random but sought out a coherent collection of works which appealed to him, in which a love of line comes through as the dominant theme.
In this exhibition organised by the Malraux Museum these 47 works will be accompanied by others belonging to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

The young Flaubert.

Gustave Flaubert was born in 1821 in the Hôtel-Dieu in Rouen. His father was a surgeon in the hospital there and it was in Rouen that he was to live his early life. The Hôtel-Dieu has now become the Museum of Flaubert and the History of Medecine, and the institution invites the public to discover the youth of Gustave Flaubert. This temporary exhibition will take place in the room in which the writer was born. It will feature works little-known by the general public, depicting the writer and his family, and will plunge you into the literary world of the young Flaubert.

Dieppe from all angles.

Since the 1820s, Dieppe has been a popular and well-known seaside resort. Over the years, many painters have paid a visit to this town, attracted by the sparkling luminous quality of its light. They have painted the cliffs, the port, the town and so on. The Château-Musée invites you to discover works by Eugène Boudin, Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro and Claude Monet, which depict the Dieppe area.
This exhibition ties in with the Impressionist Normandy festival.

A multi-faceted fair.

Second most important fair in Brittany, Côtes-d'Armor Exhibition Fair has successfully managed to combine a trade fair with a cultural exhibition. After the Pharaohs' Treasures, visitors can expect another exhibition event.
They can also rediscover models of recreational vehicles that were on display last year.

Rouen's conservatoire develops impressionist cycle.

In parallel with the "impressionist Normandy" festival, Rouen's conservatoire tunes with summer. Works from the late 19th and early 20th Century will be played by Rouen's orchestra as well as Hamburg's, Rouen’s twin city. Chamber music and choirs will be presented to audiences. Also on the program, are illustrated conferences or cultural musical lessons on the theme of impressionism.

Spotlight on Vauban.

In July 2008, Unesco included 12 Vauban sites to the World Heritage, including the towers of Hougue and Tatihou.
The exhibition, created by the Network of Major Vauban Sites, puts to the fore the physical and architectural facets of this engineer's fortification work, by placing it in its historical context for a better understanding of the importance of this work and its exceptional universal value.

Heritage accessible to all.

Every year in September, the Journées du Patrimoine constitute a major cultural event that attracts a huge number of people. Buildings are opened to the public and events organised, with the aim of revealing the heritage that co-exists alongside our daily lives.

The sites and events are testament to the diversity of French heritage: rural, archaeological, military, religious, literary and iconographic heritage, as well as maritime and waterway heritage, industrial architecture, parks and gardens.

Since 1991, the Journées du Patrimoine have taken on a European dimension.

Enchanted countryside.

This exhibition entitled "The Meanders of the Seine" covers the countryside nestled in the looping meanders of the River Seine. Between Rouen and Le Havre, these loops ("boucles" in French) gave their name to a regional park which aims to preserve the delicate balance between a fragile environment and human activities. Each loop has its own particular topographical, ecological and cultural qualities but the river is a geographic structure and part of the collective imagination.
Maxence Rifflet has put together this photographic portrait, freely documenting this special area. The monuments - natural or built - will be recognised by those who know the area. Two abbeys, a vast forest, monks, a beekeeper, quarries, an ex-voto, forestry workers, interlacing charms, a little girl near a pond, fish flitting through the waters… discover this enchanted countryside of a slowly meandering river.

A great treasure hunt with a real treasure to be won…

Tying in with the Impressionist Normandy Festival which is going on all around Normandy, this sixth Great Treasure Hunt will take on an impressionist colour scheme. The ultimate prize is to be a pendant jewel (worth 2,500 euros) designed by artisan jeweller Claire Cachelou, and which was inspired by Manet's early impressionist painting Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe.

A spectacular race meeting.

During these two weekend race meetings in Craon, hundreds of horses will race in dozens of races, including some at a top level.
Over the six day period there will also be numerous events and activities to take part in, for children as well as adults.

Les Accroche-Cœurs get fired up!

The Accroche-Cœurs get fired up for their city, creating one collective heartbeat, from the city to the banks of the Maine. One by one, Place du Ralliement, Place Leclerc, the river, Montée Saint-Maurice, the riverbanks and their quays, Verdun bridge and the chateau are all lit up, providing a place to wander, marvel and dream.

The largest golfing complex in Brittany.

Not far from the Breton capital, Rennes golf course will delight both beginners and experienced golfers alike.

From the 18 hole Par 72 championship course to the compact 9 hole and the 9 hole Par 32 course, you'll have the chance to demonstrate your tactical skills required to navigate the narrowness of certain fairways or to perfect your game.

Two bunkers, two putting greens, an approach green, 30 outside greens and 10 indoor greens are available for practice purposes. The whole complex enjoys charming and peaceful surroundings, beautifully enhanced by a soft light.

Views of Rouen.

Not everything has been said about impressionism and there remains a major historical subject to be explored: that of the role played by the city of Rouen in the development of this artistic revolution.
The Impressionist Normandy festival which will go on all over the region has prompted this major exhibition which ambitiously tackles the subject of Impressionism in Rouen, focusing in particular on the work of Monet, Pissarro and Gauguin.
Monet was to act as the trigger for this movement in Rouen: he was active there from 1872 and his work culminated in his Cathedrals of twenty years later. You might be less familiar with the paintings executed by Gauguin during his stay in 1884. As for Pissarro, his series of views of the quays and bridges of Rouen, are true masterpieces of the urban landscape genre.
The works of these great masters of painting will be set in the context of the many other painters who worked in Rouen at this time, from Corot to Marquet, via Jongkind, Boudin, Guillaumin and artists of the School of Rouen.

An eclectic repertory.

The Orchestra of Brittany comprises fifty musicians and is under the management of an artistic team made up of Lionel Bringuier and Moshe Atzmon.

This company plays music in every way possible: symphonic concerts, nomadic tours in the city, artist portraits, recitals.

It also regularly accompanies famous national and international soloists, such as the pianist Laure Favre-Kahn.

Impressionist themes in video art.

Landscapes, intimate scenes, perception, the city ... These themes so dear to the impressionists are taken up by young artists who exhibit their work at the department civic building in Rouen. Their main aim? To express themselves differently from their predecessors while keeping this link to Impressionism. Their weapons? Light, colour, and ephemeral qualities. These 20 video artists from all over the world also aim to show that the artists of the 19th century were surprisingly modern.

Impressionism on pottery.

Discover around a hundred pieces at this exhibition entitled Impressionist Ceramics, which explores the idea of expressionism within the artistic field of pottery and ceramics.
Between 1872 and 1881 the Parisian experimental ceramics manufacturer, Haviland de Limoges, run by Félix Bracquemond, produced slip eathernware pottery which was then decorated by painters from the impressionist circles.
With the help of coloured slip, or liquid clay, applied with a brush, the artists could work as if on canvas: with impasto, depicting fleeting moments and brilliant landscapes.

Small clothes at small prices.

This sale includes clothing for children 0-16 years old, baby care items and pregnancy wear only.
The sellers fix the prices, which will be labelled on the items. The association will take a percentage of the sales, and unsold items can be sent to Mali.

Apples and pears.

With this fair, autumn is a far from monotonous affair! On offer a Fruit growers' market with exhibition-sales of apples, pears and other treats, such as old fruits. Workshops, recipe demonstration and a wide range of events are equally in store.

Special focus on the women of Mali.

The Museum of Brittany will be celebrating Mali this year in its annual temporary exhibition. But not just Mali in general: the exhibition will specifically focus on the women of Mali. For women, through their dedication, have played a considerable role in transforming modern society in Mali.
Through objects, photographs, films and personal testimonies, the exhibition Feminine Mali offers a new perspective on this African country. The photographer Fatoumata Diabaté and filmmakers Christian Lallier, Catherine Martin Payen and Kadiatou Kanoté are the creatives behind some of the key works on display here.

Eure at the time of impressionism

A member of Belgium's Royal Academy since 2008, Georges Rousse exhibits 250 photographs of the Eure to Vernon this summer. You may ask why? The act of picturing that he manages to reproduce with photography. Painter, sculpture and architect, Rousse seeks to discover every detail about this profession in order to capture this particular act of picturing. In Vernon, it is impressionism and creation of modern painting that are once more put to the fore. But this time, with the precise aim of finding a new image to the department. Acts of picturing are for example expected to take place with school children from Vernon. A way for Georges Rousse to pass on his art to an area he is particularly fond of.

Go back in time.

The period between the World Wars was rich in decorative art.
This exhibition, called "Quimper Cornouaille, années 1920-1930, L'appartement Art Déco", offers visitors a chance to discover a new style for the period, particularly Breton art deco with its urban buildings, unusual furniture and earthenware.

The master of words.

Leonard Cohen is one of the biggest names in music. His first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, featuring the immortal songs "So Long, Marianne" and "Suzanne", came out in 1967. He went on to release Songs from a Room (1969), and then Songs of Love and Hate (1971).

The songs taken from these albums prove to any doubters that the artist has an incredible gift for writing. During the following decades, Leonard Cohen made magnificent music, with the most recent albums being Dear Heather (2004), Blue Alert (2006) and Live in London (2009)

300 hours of film on impressionism

French cinema can be proud of itself. Thanks to the genius of Charles Pathé and Léon Gaumont, a lot of film fiction and documentaries on impressionism saw the light of day. And the festival "Normandy Impressionism" is the ideal opportunity to share them with film enthusiasts. Some 14 000 hours of film have been edited into film themes enabling us to discover Normandy in an era when painters were inspired by it.

Biodiversity in images.

Set up in 2004 by Jacques Rocher, a man whose passion is the art of photography, and who is particularly involved in the conservation of nature, the Peoples & Nature Photographic Festival in La Gacilly will see its seventh edition this year.
All are welcome at this entirely free festival which will transform this Breton village into an open air art gallery. 200 large format photographs will be on display over a four month period, and a total of 250,000 visitors are expected.
The theme this year is to be biodiversity, fitting in with the designation of 2010 as international Year of Biodiversity.

Prints and engravings.

Tying in with the Normandy Impressionist festival, the Museum of Fine Arts in Caen is putting on this special exhibition of prints and engravings, most of which come from the National Library of France (Bibliothèque Nationale). You can admire plates by Edouard Manet, Marie Cassatt, Pissarro, Degas, as well as engravings by Berthe Morisot, Henri Guérard, American artist James Whistler and Guillaumin. Discover a little-known world of prints from the impressionist period.

Trade fair.

A fair set in autumnal colours! Traders set out their stalls with clothes, crafts, accessories and food.
Along with the fair and to the delight of bargain hunters, a car boot sale has also been organised. There are also some nice surprise in store with a line-up of street events.

Short and sweet!

The famed Off-Courts festival in Trouville-sur-Mer is dedicated to short films, animation and video productions. The productions are regional, national and international in scope.

This festival brings you a wide range of films to the delight of an ever-growing audience. You might be seeing an obscure production by one of the "greats" of the next decade.

One of the strong points of this events is the friendly and easygoing atmosphere which becomes outright festive during concerts, soirées and exhibitions… The event has gained a serious reputation over time and now is linked to other short film festivals (Victoriaville, Montreal, Clermont-Ferrand…).

Shellfish in the spotlight!

France's number one seashell fishing harbour will be hosting a special weekend this October. Shellfish are the blood and soul of the festival, and you will be able to sample a thousand and one of the best varieties. Since its first edition in 2002, the festival has been growing every year, drawing huge crowds with a taste for scallops and oysters and other rare underwater creatures…

There will even be a seafood cooking workshop, so don't miss out!

The dances which inspired creation.

The exhibition Le Grand Bal Dior, or the Great Dior Ball, invites you to step back in time to the era of the great dances and balls which were to inspire this famous designer. The exhibition will include all kinds of costumes, decorative objects, texts and manuscripts, extracts from old films, and musical accompaniment.
The exhibition opens with a display of modern creations by John Galliano.

Keep your head in the clouds.

The first ever kiting meet in Dieppe took place in September 1980, with about a half a dozen countries represented by a group of strange men who liked to play with hankerchiefs and string... Now three decades later this number has been multiplied by five and the number of spectators went from an approximate zero to almost half a million.

Over 30 national teams will be putting on a one-of-a-kind show for the 450 000 expected visitors at this Festival International des Cerfs-volants. Expect music and dance, some spectacular aerial performances with flashy ultramodern kites soaring expertly among the clouds, and also some mindblowing shows with GIANT KITES.

It is said that kites were first used by navigators, and it was often thought that kites appeared in China 2 000 years ago. However recent research suggests that Indonesian navigators, keen observers of wind patterns, had flown the first kites over 3 500 years before our time.

Academians of the 18th century were quick to transform the kite into a scientific research tool - the salient example being Benjamin Franklin's silken kite which, carrying a key into a thunderstorm, demonstrated his theory that lightning was in fact electrical power.

The development of the aeroplane nullified the scientific potential of the kite but marked the beginning of kiting as a leisure activity.

One of the most notable aspects of this kiting festival is the fact that it is an international event. Every two years, 8 hectares of space between the city and the seafront are dedicated to kite-flyers from around the planet and numerous visiting spectators. This ideal natural setting is the perfect stage for such an event.

This exciting festival gathers the best teams and "pilots" in every field of kiting, the most talented kite-designers, but also the more traditional kite-flyers who never fail to make an appearance.

The international kiting festival is completely free of charge and allows visitors to learn about kite construction thanks to workshops, and about kite-flying techniques with the help of professionals. Certain activities are specifically tailored to children, school outings, and disabled persons.

Dieppe's International Kiting Festival is the largest and most impressive kiting festival in the world, and it would be madness to miss out on all the fun!

A photographic trip down memory lane.

The Evreux museum invites you to discover, under the umbrella of the Impressionist Normandy festival, this exhibition entitled A photographic campaign in the Eure at the time of Impressionism.
The works exhibited are photographs which were taken by an Evreux resident, Bertrand, who in took these pictures in 1860 at the request of the General Council of the Eure. Contemporary photographs will be displayed alongside those taken by Bertrand.

A Belgian in Brittany.

This renowned Belgian artist, Eugene de Bie (1941-1983) was to find in the Breton town of Guilvinec his adopted homeland and major inspiration for his artworks.
Portraits of sailors or fishermen, harbour views and landscapes are all subjects which were dear to this painter. From a realistic starting point, his paintings became more and more fantastic and imaginary over the years. The exhibition An Artistic Approach offers a retrospective of the work of Eugene de Bie: comprising 40 years of artistic creation.

A glamourous festival for film buffs…

Since its beginnings in 1975, some of the world's greatest movie stars have left their footprints on the red carpet of the Deauville American Film Festival: Robin Williams, Lauren Bacall, Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, Clint Eastwood, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Steven Spielberg, Morgan Freeman... For autograph-collectors and fanatical movie-buffs, this festival on Deauville's esplanade is an unmissable event in the summer.

Only American productions are presented at the Festival du cinéma américain de Deauville. Though more low-key and less flashy than its big brother, the Cannes film festival, Deauville remains a major event with its fair share of international stars. This year's program is particularly eclectic with studio productions, independent films, tributes, documentaries and shorts.

The environment in danger.

In the context of the international year of biodiversity, the Museum is increasing awareness about the rich diversity of the living world, but also the threats it faces.
The exhibition called Biodiversité: le Museum Sort de sa Réserve (Biodiversity: the museum outside its habitat) aims to make the public more aware of the need to protect the environment, often by simple, everyday actions.

A taste for Chinese luxuries in France.

In the early 18th century, trading between France and China allowed France to discover Asian goods such as tea, silk, porcelain, pearl, ivory, etc. The first boat to provide this trade link was the Amphitrite which docked at the port of Nantes. From this first taste, France was to develop a craving for Chinese goods. China was to attract intrepid Westerners, however the sack of the Palace in Beijing in 1860 was to mark the end of an era.

This exhibition invites you to learn about the relations between France and China during this 1700 - 1860 period. Come and examine some of the precious objects from this period, loaned for the occasion by major museums such as the Musée Guimet in Paris.
This is a new and refreshing take on the age-old relationship between two countries.

Religious architecture meets contemporary art.

In the central area of Brittany nowadays you can often see religious buildings playing a part in the promotion of contemporary art. Every summer the chapels of the Blavet Valley (mostly dating from the 15th and 16th centuries) become art galleries in their own right.

This is a double invitation: discover the cutting-edge of today's artistic production, but also the ancient beauty of these old stone constructions.

Impressions of light.

Weather Reports illustrates an artistic desire to explore contemporary forms through sunlight: three artists Spencer Finch, Ann Veronica Janssens (as yet unconfirmed), and Martin Oppel will show us how. Here the colour of a beam of light or a cluster of balloons appears to take on the colour of the sky. The artists' sensitive search for objects revealed by sunlight - an idea which was so fashionable in the 19th century - does not necessary bring the impressionist movement to mind. On the contrary, certain artists who employ this method might not even be aware that it was the impressionists who first touched upon this idea.

An exceptional crossing.

Since 2009 the Tourist Office in Le Havre has continued with its annual project to transform the promenade by the beach, beside the beach huts, in to an open air gallery dedicated to photography during the summer months.
After last year's exhibition Visitors to Le Havre, this year's display will focus on the Normandie, the legendary French ocean liner. On 29th May 1935, 75 years ago, this jewel of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique was officially launched on her maiden voyage to New York, from Le Havre.
The newpapers dispatched their finest writers to cover this event (Blaise Cendrars, Colette, Claude Farrère… ), and VU Magazine was not to be outdone, sending Roger Schall to photograph this momentous event. Sixty large format photographs will be on display here, for passers by to witness the exceptional atmosphere of the launch of this famous ship.