Along the water

This work bestows an astonishing grace and lightness onto the heavy containers. It forms a symbolic gateway between the city and the port, with its monumental scale matching the grandeur of its surroundings.

The exhibition features nearly a hundred artworks, documents and archives, shedding light on three decades — from 1845 to 1874 — during which Monet lived between Paris and Le Havre. Contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is also displaying two LEGO installations, reimagining Monet’s Water Lilies.

A hybrid mineral formation emerges from the riprap This strip of stone is adorned with gold like a precious of Auguste Perret, with magnificent stained glass windows by the master stained-glass glazier, Marguerite Huré.

Inspired by Auguste Perret’s architecture, this telephone cabin is both familiar and strange. Voice recordings from fictional inhabitants can be heard through the receiver, reminiscing about a city that never existed, yet bears a resemblance to Le Havre.

Two figures contemplate the sea at the entrance to the harbour, from which ships come and go. The sculpture looks out across to New York and evokes memories of past departures to this destination, symbolising the bond and love between a father and his daughter.

Le Havre-Etretat Tourist Office is open every day from 9.30 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 6.30 pm to help you make the most of your stay. Come and enjoy personalised advice, suggestions for things to see and do, and a selection of lovely souvenirs to take home.

A blue-toned design, which is both abstract and figurative, blends seamlessly with the distinctive roof of this shelter, which was previously known as the ‘coquillage’ (the shell). It alludes to the movements which characterise this landscape, such as sea currents, gusts of wind and bird migrations.

This piece, viewed from Avenue Foch, appears to be framed by the Porte Océane, and stands silhouetted against the coastal horizon. The work rises from the pebbles and reproduces the skeleton of a building from Perret’s city, detaching itself from land as if to approach the sea. The angles of Up #3 endlessly complement one another in Le Havre’s changing light.

Épi No. 8 was the last wooden groyne still in use on the beach at Le Havre. Sculpted by the passing years and by the sea spray, it was a reminder of the constant battle which man wages against nature to maintain the coast line. Now reproduced at full size using an artificial rockwork technique, it has been turned into a sculpture which bears witness to the past.