Within its unique architecture—an illuminated prow-like structure open to the port's entrance—the majestic ocean liners depicted by artists engage in an unparalleled dialogue with the landscape and the real movements of contemporary maritime life.
Co-produced with the Musée d’arts de Nantes and presented in Le Havre in partnership with French Lines & Compagnies, the exhibition delves into works inspired by ocean liners, focusing on a transatlantic perspective that bridges the artistic production of Europe’s Old World and the Americas’ New World between 1913 and 1942.
THE OCEAN LINER: A SYMBOL OF MODERNITY
Beginning in the 1830s and continuing until the 1970s, the era of ocean liners represents a pivotal chapter in the global history of the industrial age. Their grandeur, turbine mechanics, towering smokestacks with billowing black smoke, and colorful flags quickly captured the human imagination. Today, this world continues to fascinate, with the history of Normandie, inaugurated in 1935 on the Le Havre–New York line, serving as an iconic testament. Preserved by French Lines & Compagnies in Le Havre, the exhibition unveils previously unseen archives of its renowned naval architect, Vladimir Yourkevitch.
THE BIRTH OF A TRANSATLANTIC AESTHETIC
During Europe’s "Roaring Twenties" (the "Années folles") and the United States’ "Jazz Age," artistic, architectural, and literary avant-gardes flourished alongside the rise of photographic press, cinema, and advertising. Ocean liners became a source of inspiration for creators of all disciplines: Cubist, Futurist, and Surrealist painters, photographers, poster designers, architects, filmmakers, and poets. Influencing one another, they contributed to the emergence of a popular international aesthetic centered on the ocean liner.
FROM ONE WORLD TO ANOTHER
As spaces for both transport and leisure, ocean liners bridged two continents during their voyages. Onboard, a vibrant exchange of ideas unfolded, creating an atmosphere of exhilaration and emotion. Below deck, indigent passengers or refugees shared space with poets seeking inspiration. Business magnates dined alongside carefree tourists. Yet, the carefree spirit of the 1920s was abruptly interrupted by the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing global depression, giving way to a more anxious world and foreshadowing the dark years ahead.
The outbreak of war in 1939 marked the end of an era, with final crossings leading to exile. Marcel Duchamp’s Boîte en valise encapsulates, in one brilliant work, the artist’s incisive response to the upheavals of history. Images of the Normandie’s fire in 1942 confirm the closing chapter of the legendary ocean liner era.
THE EXHIBITION FEATURES 180 WORKS BY SIXTY ARTISTS, including paintings, photographs, posters, films, literary texts, advertisements, and art objects. Notable contributors include:
PAINTERS: Marcel Duchamp, Raoul Dufy, Jean Dupas, Marcel Gromaire, Émile Laboureur, Jules Lefranc, Fernand Léger, Georges Malkine, Toyen, Frits Thaulow, and others.
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Berenice Abbott, Walker Evans, Jean Moral, Roger Schall, François Tuefferd, and more.
ARCHITECTS: Eileen Gray, Le Corbusier, Robert Mallet-Stevens.
FILMMAKERS: Buster Keaton, Leo McCarey.
POETS: Blaise Cendrars, Jean Cocteau, Valéry Larbaud, Paul Morand, Fernando Pessoa, Jules Supervielle, Saint-John Perse.
POSTER DESIGNERS: Jean Auvigné, Paul Colin, Cassandre, and others.
DESIGNERS: Jean Dunand, Robert Lallemant, Peter Müller-Munk.
FASHION DESIGNER: Jeanne Lanvin.
CURATORS OF THE EXHIBITION
Adeline Collange-Perugi, curator of ancient art collections at the Musée d’arts de Nantes.
Sophie Lévy, former director-curator of the Musée d’arts de Nantes.
Clémence Poivet-Ducroix, conservation officer at MuMa – André Malraux Museum of Modern Art in Le Havre, assisted by Éléonore Lebrun.
Dates: April 26 – September 21, 2025
Free Admission: First Saturday of each month.
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