Post 60. Le Havre 6. Street Art and Monet@MuMa
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| Catène de Containers on Quai de Southampton |
Let's start with the street art.
One of the new iconic images of Le Havre on social media is the Catène de Containers (above) - two interconnected arches built out of brightly painted shipping containers welded together. It is located on Quai de Southampton and symbolises the gateway between the city and the port.
It really is a beautiful contemporary installation. Like a lot of the street art in the city, it started as a temporary exhibit, built as part of the "Un Été au Havre" summer festival in 2017 to celebrate Le Havre's 500th birthday, but it proved so popular that it has now become permanent.
It weighs almost 288 tonnes, and its highest point reaches 28.5 metres above the ground. Its name comes from the Latin word "catena", meaning "chain". This is a nod to its construction technique, inspired by Gaudí, but also to the use of shipping containers in the "supply chain".
UP#3
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| UP#3 on the beach |
UP#3 is a pure white structure that rises from the pebbles and stands out against the horizon. It is perfectly in line with the axis of Avenue Foch and the Porte Océane. Located on the beach, this huge structure has become another firm favourite on social media, and it probably represents the architecture of the city as it battles the constant onshore winds and waves.
La Maison des Rêves 2612
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| La Maison des Rêves 2612 |
To the casual passer-by, this telephone box looks like one they forgot to remove when they were getting rid of them. In fact, it was built for this year's festival. It is built in the style of the old cabine téléphonique, but also in the exact style of a Perret building, using the same scale. When you pick up the phone inside, you can hear local AI-cloned Le Havre voices.
Gold Coast
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| Gold Coast, opposite MuMa |
Part of the sea wall of rocks opposite MuMa has been turned into shiny gold nuggets to create an illusion of infinite wealth. The "precious stones" were first covered with gold leaf and then painted over with several layers of acrylic to protect them from the waves. It is a symbol of durability, gold being a safe bet when the economy is volatile.
Jusqu'au Bout du Monde
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| Jusqu'au Bout du Monde |
Jusqu'au Bout du Monde (Till the Ends of the Earth) is a massive sculpture of the artist Fabien Mérelle carrying his own daughter on his shoulders. They are looking out at the horizon and the ships that cross it. It is positioned so that they look directly towards New York, formerly linked to Le Havre by the transatlantic line.
Sur le motif
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Just a few metres from the spot where Claude Monet painted Impression, soleil levant from the second-floor balcony of the Hôtel de l'Amirauté on 13 November 1872, at 7:35 a.m., sits one of Le Havre's newest and most intriguing art installations. Sur le motif, gives people the chance to experience Monet's original point of view. It was commissioned this year for a major exhibition at MuMa, celebrating the centenary of the artist's death.
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| Today's harbour, reflected in the mirror |
It is like a huge periscope, with a circular mirror positioned at a height of 7.14 metres, corresponding to the painter's eye level. The hotel itself was destroyed during the bombings. When you look up, you see the reflection of today's harbour, and it encourages viewers to compare the real view of present-day Le Havre with the painting.
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| Seven dates over the next 100 years |
Then, on the ground below your feet, there is an engraved plaque with the seven dates over the next hundred years when, on 13 November at the same time, the tide will be at the same height.
Indoor Art
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| Poster for the major Claude Monet exhibition |
This seems like a good time to move indoors, to the André Malraux Museum of Modern Art (MuMa), which all summer has been hosting the Monet Havre exhibition, focusing on the artist's early years in Le Havre.
On my last visit to MuMa, they were featuring another local artist who I much prefer, Raoul Dufy, but on this occasion only one of his paintings was on display to make room for the Monets. So, before we move on, here it is:
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| Raoul Dufy |
There were hundreds of early sketches, drawings and paintings by Monet in the exhibition. These carefully curated pieces were really only for die-hard fans of his work, so I mostly gave them a wide berth in favour of the more recognisable examples of his work - several of these are below (photography was allowed).
When I lived here in 1987, I would never have thought of Le Havre as a city famous for its art. True, it had MuMa, but it was in its infancy. Quite a lot has changed since then. Most of the street art is free and easy to find on a walk along the seafront, and it is well worth taking a few hours to see it. Add in a visit to MuMa, and the new modern art gallery being developed in the old ferry terminal and there is more than enough to keep you busy for a day or two. If interested, all current and previous art installations from the ten years of Un Été au Havre can be found at https://www.uneteauhavre.fr/
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