As the 6th edition of Normandie Impressionniste has come to a close, the festival wishes to warmly thank its founding members and member municipalities, who have supported the project since its inception and contribute to its lasting place in the Norman cultural landscape.
The strength of Normandie Impressionniste lies in its ability to bring together diverse communities and territories around a shared cultural project. This structure allows the festival to transcend the boundaries of a single city or region, offering a program that circulates throughout the area.
For its 2026 edition, held from May 29 to September 27, 2026, around the theme "A Possible Garden," Normandie Impressionniste presented 75 artistic projects throughout the region, bringing together French and international artists, exhibitions, installations, performances, and cultural events. Organized to commemorate the centenary of Claude Monet's death, this edition offered fresh perspectives on the Impressionist legacy while highlighting the importance of contemporary creation, through a program conceived on a Normandy-wide scale and fostering a dialogue between art, heritage, landscapes, and territories.
Nine founding members at the heart of the project
Normandie Impressionniste warmly thanks the 35 local authorities in Normandy that make up the Public Interest Group (GIP) and contribute to its development and integration within the region. Among them are the nine founding members: the Normandy Region, the Rouen Normandy Metropolitan Area, the Eure Department, the Seine-Maritime Department, the City of Rouen, the City of Caen, the City of Le Havre, Caen la Mer, and Le Havre Seine Métropole, which have supported this collective cultural project from the outset, alongside the member municipalities.
Normandy Region
As a founding member of the festival, the Region supports its development across Normandy and helps make Normandie Impressionniste a unifying cultural project for the entire region. This regional dimension was particularly evident in 2026 through a program deployed in numerous areas. From Fujiko Nakaya's fog sculpture in Honfleur, to Cai Guo-Qiang's exhibition of gunpowder paintings at Mont Saint-Michel Abbey, and Alexis Defortescu's exhibition at the Château de Carrouges in the Orne department.
Rouen Normandy Metropolitan Area and the City of Rouen
The Rouen Normandy Metropolis has supported the festival since its inception and contributed to its integration within a key region of Impressionist history. Alongside the city of Rouen, it helps make the Rouen metropolitan area one of the central hubs of the festival's programming. In 2026, audiences were able to discover, among other things, the projection of Wildflower by Japanese artist Mika Ninagawa onto the cathedral, as well as the mechanical flower installation Meadow, a hanging garden by the Dutch studio DRIFT at the Sainte-Croix-des-Pelletiers church, and the photographic exhibition by Sarah Moon at the Rouen Normandy Photographic Center and the Jardin des Plantes.
Department of Eure
As a founding member, the Eure Department contributes to the festival's expansion within its territory and to the promotion of its sites, cultural facilities, and heritage. This 6th edition notably featured the exhibition " La mémoire du limon" by Lionel Sabbaté, a tribute to Claude Monet, at the Blanche Hoschedé-Monet Museum in Vernon; the exhibition " Plantations, travaux in situ, 2026" byDaniel Buren at the Museum of Impressionisms in Giverny; and " Le monde flottant de Claude Monet" by Daniela Capaccioli at the Nicolas Poussin Museum in Les Andelys.
Seine-Maritime Department
The Department supports the festival's integration into the Seine-Maritime region and contributes to showcasing its heritage, landscapes, and cultural offerings. In 2026, several projects took place in these areas, including Ange Leccia's "Aller et venir de lumière " exhibition in the gardens of Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey, the educational project " Les zoziaux de Monet" which was held in Clères Park, and Jérémy Liron's "Hortus Conclusus" exhibition at the Duchamp Gallery in Yvetot.
City of Caen and Caen la Mer urban community
The Caen region has contributed to the festival's regional influence and the diversity of its programming since its inception. This 6th edition notably hosted the exhibitions "Light in the Nets" by Diana Scherer at the Saint-Nicolas church, the installation " Suspension Points" composed of swings topped with bells by Céleste Boursier-Mougenot at the FRAC, and also the exhibition " Ground Melody by Laurent Proux presented at the Artothèque, a contemporary art space.
City of Le Havre and Le Havre Seine Métropole urban community
Deeply connected to the history of Impressionism, Le Havre and its surrounding area have contributed to keeping this legacy alive since the festival's inception, while also welcoming projects focused on contemporary creation. In 2026, the MuMa (Musée d'art moderne André Malraux) notably presented the monumental LEGOWater Lilies by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, in dialogue with the landmark exhibition Monet au Havre. Le Portique also hosted Noémie Goudal's exhibition The Story of Fixity, featuring displays that blended photography, installation, and illusion to create images that straddled the line between reality and imagination.
15 member municipalities alongside the festival
Normandie Impressionniste warmly thanks the 15 member municipalities that participate, alongside the founding members, in bringing the festival to life throughout the Normandy region. From Cabourg to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, from Giverny to Granville, from Étretat to Honfleur, passing through Les Andelys, Louviers, Lyons-la-Forêt and Jumièges, their participation allows the festival to take root in territories with diverse heritage, landscapes and histories and to offer a program that is closely aligned with the needs of residents and visitors.
Thanks to Cabourg, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Deauville, Étretat, Giverny, Grand Quevilly, Granville, Honfleur, Jumièges, Les Andelys, Louviers, Lyons-la-Forêt, Pont-Audemer, Trouville-sur-Mer and Varengeville-sur-Mer for their participation in this 6th edition.
A festival driven by its territories
Over the years, Normandie Impressionniste has grown, broadened its audience, and strengthened its place in the regional cultural landscape. The commitment of its founding members allows the festival to continue this collective adventure and to keep the Impressionist legacy alive in a new way.
Normandie Impressionniste thanks the Normandy Region, the Rouen Normandy Metropolis, the Departments of Eure and Seine-Maritime, the City of Rouen, the City of Caen and Caen la Mer, the City of Le Havre and Le Havre Seine Métropole for their trust, loyalty and commitment to the festival.
Thanks to those who, for more than fifteen years, have contributed to making Normandie Impressionniste a shared cultural project across the entire region.
