Art Explora's Floating Museum Docks in Le Havre for Ocean-Focused Festival's Second Edition
On October 1, 2026, the Art Explorer, recognized as the largest sailing catamaran and a floating museum of the Art Explora foundation, docked in Le Havre, marking the launch of the second edition of the Art Explora festival. The event was led by Frédéric Jousset, the owner of Beaux Arts & Cie. Following two years of traveling across the Mediterranean and attracting over 400,000 visitors, the catamaran is now dedicated to promoting ocean biodiversity through workshops and immersive activities. Since January, over seven million tonnes of plastic waste have entered the oceans. The exhibition "Song of Water" showcases works by Hiroshi Sugimoto, Hicham Berrada, Max Hooper Schneider, and Emilija Škarnulytė. After Le Havre, the Art Explorer will be in Saint-Malo from October 20 to November 1 for the Route du Rhum.
Key facts
- The Art Explorer, described as the world's largest sailing catamaran, arrived at the port of Le Havre on Thursday, October 1, 2026
- The second edition of the Art Explora festival was inaugurated in the Bassin de l'Eure by Frédéric Jousset, owner of Beaux Arts & Cie
- The first season drew more than 400,000 visitors over two years of Mediterranean voyages
- The new season focuses on raising awareness about ocean biodiversity through workshops and immersive experiences
- More than seven million tonnes of plastic waste have been dumped into the oceans since January, according to Wings of the Ocean
- The exhibition "Song of Water" features around twenty artists, including Hiroshi Sugimoto, Hicham Berrada, Max Hooper Schneider, and Ernst Haeckel
- Lara Tabet, winner of the 2026 BMW Art Makers prize with Yasmine Chemali, presents bacteriographies created aboard the catamaran
- After Le Havre, the Art Explorer will dock in Saint-Malo from October 20 to November 1 for the Route du Rhum
Entities
Artists
- Frédéric Jousset
- Blanche de Lestrange
- Hicham Berrada
- Hiroshi Sugimoto
- Max Hooper Schneider
- Ernst Haeckel
- Emilija Škarnulytė
- Lara Tabet
- Yasmine Chemali
- Xavier
- Jade
- Benjamin
Institutions
- Art Explora
- Beaux Arts & Cie
- Beaux Arts Magazine
- Wings of the Ocean
- Muséum d'Histoire naturelle du Havre
- BMW Art Makers
- Ballet national de Marseille
- (La)Horde
- Helios
- Mennour
- Adagp
- Route du Rhum
- Mrac – Musée régional d'art contemporain Occitanie / Pyrénées Méditerranée
- Collection Pinault
Locations
- Le Havre
- France
- Saint-Malo
- Bassin de l'Eure
- Quai de Marseille
- Quai du Cameroun
- Mediterranean
- Pacific
- Arctic
- Marseille
- Lithuania
- Lebanon
- Paris