Normandy Impressionist Festival 2026: Over 70 Events Mark Monet’s Centenary
The Normandy Impressionist Festival has initiated a unique edition that will run until September 27, 2026, in honor of the 100th anniversary of Claude Monet's passing in Giverny. This year, marking its first focus on contemporary art since its establishment in 2010, the festival showcases over 70 projects across 43 Normandy cities. Art trails along the Seine connect Le Havre, Honfleur, Rouen, Caen, and Vernon. According to festival director Philippe Platel, the event unites an international array of artists reflecting on their inspirations from Monet’s legacy. Notable works include Ai Weiwei’s “Waterlilies” crafted from 650,000 Lego bricks, Fujiko Nakaya’s fog sculpture “Fog Tree #07031” in Honfleur, and others. The theme, “A Possible Garden,” investigates the balance between intimacy and exposure, as well as nature and artifice.
Key facts
- Festival runs until September 27, 2026
- Over 70 projects across 43 cities in Normandy
- First edition focused on contemporary art since 2010
- Ai Weiwei's 'Waterlilies' uses 650,000 Lego pieces
- Lionel Sabatté used silt from Monet's pond for screen prints
- Fujiko Nakaya's fog sculpture in Honfleur park where Monet learned to paint trees
- Studio Drift presents 'Meadow, jardin suspendu' in Église Sainte-Croix-des-Pelletiers
- Cai Guo-Qiang created a live gunpowder painting for the preview
Entities
Artists
- Claude Monet
- Ai Weiwei
- Fujiko Nakaya
- Lionel Sabatté
- Diana Scherer
- Studio Drift
- Lonneke Gordijn
- Ralph Nauta
- Sarah Moon
- Janaína Tschäpe
- Ange Leccia
- Cai Guo-Qiang
- Mika Ninagawa
- Céleste Boursier-Mougenot
- Julien des Monstiers
- Noémie Goudal
- Philippe Platel
- Ai Qing
- Trisha Brown
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Bill Viola
- Gustave Courbet
- Alfred Sisley
- Camille Corot
- Eugène Boudin
Institutions
- Normandy Impressionist Festival
- Église Sainte-Croix-des-Pelletiers
- Centre photographique Rouen Normandie
- Aître Saint-Maclou
- Hastings Contemporary
- l’Abbaye, Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville
- Musée Blanche Hoschedté-Monet
- Espace CULT – Hangar Ladner
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen
- Église Saint-Nicolas de Caen
- Frac Normandie
- FRAC Caen
- Musée Eugène Boudin
- La Ferme Saint Siméon
- Jardin des Personnalités
- Le Portique – Regional Centre for Contemporary Art
- MuMa – Musée d’art moderne
- Pepsi Pavilion
- Expo ’70
Locations
- Normandy
- Giverny
- Le Havre
- Honfleur
- Rouen
- Caen
- Vernon
- Église Sainte-Croix-des-Pelletiers, Rouen
- Centre photographique Rouen Normandie, Rouen
- Aître Saint-Maclou, Rouen
- Hastings
- United Kingdom
- l’Abbaye, Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville
- Musée Blanche Hoschedté-Monet
- Espace CULT – Hangar Ladner, Vernon
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen, Rouen
- Église Saint-Nicolas de Caen, Caen
- Frac Normandie, Caen
- Musée Eugène Boudin, Honfleur
- La Ferme Saint Siméon, Honfleur
- Jardin des Personnalités, Honfleur
- Le Portique – Regional Centre for Contemporary Art, Le Havre
- MuMa – Musée d’art moderne, Le Havre
- Osaka
- Japan
- Tokyo
- China