MUSEUMS 2022 THE GUIDE
Ernest Pignon-Ernest and includes many of his installations, drawings and photographs. Open every day of the week from 10am to 6pm.
www.fonds-culturel-leclerc.fr
Musée Somme 1916 Albert, Somme
The Battle of the Somme cost one million lives. Pause a moment and think what that means and then head down into the subterranean Musée Somme 1916. It is a sobering experience for sure, only emphasised by the dark alcoves and trenches. But there’s also an element of intrigue and even, surprisingly, whimsy in these tunnels. The museum works exceptionally well as an educational day out and is suitable for all ages: families can follow in the mud-laden footsteps of the soldiers, observe recreated scenes, and pore over the collection of helmets, uniforms and weapons before embarking on the Remembrance Trail. This year the museum is open seven days a week until the middle of December.
www.musee-somme-1916.eu
Musée Ingres Bourdelle Montauban, Tarn-et-Garonne A wealth of artistic exhibits are on display at this museum, right in the centre of Montauban, amassed over the years thanks to the generosity of numerous collectors and artists, as well as works purchased by the town itself. Raphael and Hans Holbein the Younger are two of the more famous painters featured. The museum owes its name to two prolifi c artists, both born in the city: the neoclassical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) and sculptor Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929). Both gifted many works of art which now adorn the museum. Currently there are temporary exhibitions featuring two French artists – Francis Picabia (1879-1953), who specialised in the avant garde, and modern-day street artist Speedy Graphito.
museeingresbourdelle.com
Musverre, a museum dedicated to glass in all its forms, is housed in a show-stopping Brutalist building in Sars-Poteries
Musée Fabre Montpellier, Hérault
The Musée Fabre in Montpellier is one of Languedoc’s fi nest art galleries. Founded by local painter François-Xavier Fabre in 1825, it offers some stunning paintings and sculptures from the last 600 years. Until August this year there was an exhibition dedicated to Parisian painter Dominique Gauthier, and until November, visitors can enjoy a regular opera performance called À l’opéra chez les Despous!
museefabre.montpellier3m.fr
CURIOUS
If you’re feeling truly inquisitive, you may want to visit some of France’s more unorthodox or quirky museums. What about a centre dedicated to wet nurses? Or a comic-book museum celebrating the likes of Tintin, Asterix and the Smurfs? There’s even an underground mushroom farm in the Loire Valley. As Alice in Wonderland famously said: “Curiouser and curiouser.”
Maison Jean Monnet Bazoches-sur-Guyonne, Yvelines It was in this humble farmhouse, in April 1950, that French political visionary Jean Monnet met with Europe’s senior politicians to discuss setting up
the European Coal and Steel Community, a precursor to the European Union. After Monnet’s death, the house was acquired by the European Parliament and turned into a museum to showcase the life and work of one of the key architects of the EU. “It is here that visitors can immerse themselves in the place where the idea of a united Europe took its fi rst steps towards reality,” the museum explains. It’s open every day from April 15 to October 15 and entry is free.
www.jean-monnet-europe.eu/en/ welcome-jean-monnet-house
Musverre Sars-Poteries, Nord
Are you a glass half full, or a glass half empty person? Either way you’ll love this museum dedicated to all things glass. Housed in an arresting Brutalist building, Musverre opened in 2016 and offers exhibitions, workshops and glassmaking demonstrations. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm.
musverre.lenord.fr
Place Aux Arts Fougères, Ille-et-Vilaine
This annual exhibition takes place in the municipal garden of Fougères, in Brittany. For 2022,
the exhibition features the work of Christian Lapie, a famous French sculptor who specialises in tall, humanoid fi gures sculpted from large tree trunks, and the exhibition space has been extended beyond the garden and into the town’s streets and squares, allowing visitors to follow a set route. “Scattered in groups, or alone, all these fi gures constitute a community on a global scale,” Lapie says of his sculptures.
place-aux-arts.fougeres.fr/ place-aux-arts
Fort des Dunes Leffrinckoucke, Nord
This military fort, originally built in the 1870s, played a particularly signifi cant role during World War II, when much of what happened here was tragic. During Dunkirk, dozens of French soldiers were killed here in German bombing raids, and towards the end of the war, members of the Resistance were executed here by fi ring squad. Now dedicated to the various key episodes in its history, the building features video installations and interactive displays. It’s open to visitors from March until mid-November, Tuesday to Sunday.
fort-des-dunes.fr
❯❯ Aug/Sep 2022 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 143
IMAGE © MUSVERRE
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