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Historic heart – iconic architecture – port horizon
Le Havre’s city center, rebuilt after the bombings of the Second World War and inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, is a unique example of modern urban planning. Stroll along its wide avenues to discover its iconic architecture, leading to the historic heart of the city: the Saint-François district, which has been bustling for centuries with carpenters, workers, sailors, fishermen, and shipowners, and today is known for its returning fishing boats, lively quays, and restaurants.
Step 1 : Maison de l'Été
Maison de l’Été is an information and contact centre which will prove to be an invaluable resource when planning your trip to Le Havre.
Step 2 : Icebergs
A true breath of fresh air in the midst of summer, this three-iceberg installation is a powerful reminder of a phenomenon that often seems far away : glacial melting. Its size, colour and shape whisk visitors away to far-off, frozen lands.
Step 3 : Les Optimists
The sails of 26 optimists are adorned with colourful patterns referring to the visual, silent language of sailors: the code of international maritime signal flags Under the impetus of these vessels, the world's smallest sailboats, secret messages are thus encoded and decoded on the waters and quays of the commercial basin.
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Step 4 : Les génies aussi passent le permis
Together with the inhabitants of Le Havre, the artist uses his vibrant imagination to create what he envisions as the ideal home for genies. Scattered across all 25 jars, every day objects and mythological references intertwine to create a rich and colourful display of collected wishes and invented tales.
Step 5 : Monsieur Goéland
This proud hybrid figure, standing tall on his perch, is the very essence of Le Havre. Monsieur Goéland, a mysterious creature and perhaps a traveller, reflects our relationship with this winged neighbour, which is so familiar to the people of Le Havre that such a mutation would seem possible.
Step 6 : Anima (ex) Musica
The exhibition brings discarded musical instruments back to life, turning them into animated, sound-producing creatures shaped like arthropods. Thirteen creatures are on display in the museum, including three in the graphic arts gallery alongside real insects and drawings by Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, whilst two giant insects and the game Saut de puce take over the conservatoire’s hall.
Step 7 : Spinning Around
This installation, featuring 14 rotating mirrors, comes to life through its visitors’ interaction, who are then treated to unique views of the surrounding area. This almost choreographed piece invites anyone passing by to join in and play with the city, setting it in motion to reveal its past and present.
Step 8 : Apparitions
Strange occupants have moved into the empty window frames in the Perret buildings, mingling with the residents. These characters with expressionless faces form a human-like grouping whose presence is both subtle and enigmatic.
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Step 9 : Sur le motif
Sur le motif is an installation recreating Claude Monet’s viewpoint from when he painted Impression, soleil levant. This meaningful piece invites us to revisit the scene: several dates, engraved at the foot of the structure, indicate when the light and tidal conditions will most closely resemble those in the original painting.
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Step 10 : Sorcière de la mer
This is located in the Saint-François district, where travellers and fishermen have been selling their finds for centuries. This whimsical figure, which also serves as a weather vane, reflects the darkness of the sea depths, as well as the joy of living by the sea and collecting its treasures.
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Step 11 : Réminiscences
As we reach the 25th anniversary of the law establishing that slave trading and slavery are crimes against humanity and the 20th anniversary of the museum’s opening to the public, Emmanuelle Gall and Ari Hamot take over La Maison de l’armateur and encourage visitors to rethink the memory of the site, a witness to the slave trade in Le Havre.
Step 12 : Corallium
As a sculpture installation in the shape of coral, this work is composed of an array of human hands, moulded from actual residents of Le Havre. They form a silent crowd, whose individual identities and stories can only be imagined.
Step 13 : Jardins Fantômes
The dock is decorated with motifs inspired by those in the bedroom of Francis I in his castle at Blois. Tidal movements transform these decorative features, reflecting the constant movement of the water and the slow transformation of the landscape.
Step 14 : Algues et Coquillages
Mosaic-covered benches are inspired by the colours and shapes of the port city : waves, seaweed, the patterns found on seashells.
Step 15 : La ville qui n’existait pas – épisode 1 : l’espace latent
Created with the help of artificial intelligence, which was fed with archive photographs of Le Havre, these pieces show a surreal past made up of real and fictional elements, creating a dreamlike scenario.
Step 16 : Narrow House
Based on Erwin Wurm’s memories, this house, typical of the 1960s, welcomes us inside its distorted walls. Inside, the rooms, objects and furniture are stretched to the extreme, creating a playful sense of compression and a desire to escape.
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