Un été au Havre 2026: Six new public art installations by emerging artists

The 10th edition of Un été au Havre, the contemporary art trail in Le Havre, runs until September 20, 2026, with six new installations by Gaspard Combes, Sophia Taillet, Samuel Trenquier, Guillaume Aubry, Charlotte Huard, and Grégory Chatonsky. Curated by Gaël Charbau in his fourth and final year as artistic director (David Moinard will take over next year), the selection is tighter than usual, favoring young artists. Works include Combes' floating polystyrene icebergs in the Bassin du Commerce, referencing climate change and Oscar Niemeyer's Volcan; Chatonsky's AI-generated phone booth from 2612, where visitors hear cloned voices of locals recalling a submerged city; Trenquier's 25 painted jars in Square Albert René, created with residents; Huard's Corallium, featuring 900 hand molds of Havrais aged 5 months to 93 years; Taillet's Spinning Around, 14 monumental spinning tops with mirrors on the cathedral parvis; and Aubry's 7-meter periscope offering Monet's exact viewpoint for Impression, soleil levant. The event also coincides with the centenary of Claude Monet's death, with an exhibition at MuMa and a new contemporary art center opening in December.