In 2010, the idea arose in Normandy to create an event to celebrate the Norman territory while highlighting the Impressionist heritage as well as the vitality of the contemporary art scene.

Normandy is a land of inspiration, as evidenced by its Impressionist heritage as well as the vitality of its contemporary art scene. With a decidedly multidisciplinary approach, Normandie Impressionniste celebrates this richness by inviting visitors to discover artistic creation from Impressionism to the present day and encouraging them to visit art and cultural venues throughout Normandy.

The Impressionists, in their time, adopted a forward-looking approach, resolutely open to novelty, both in their areas of interest and their painting techniques. They renewed motifs, embraced the techniques of their era, and also acted collectively by creating an artists' cooperative. Their works invited their contemporaries to look at new subjects. This great artistic adventure is explored in the very places where it took place in the exhibitions offered by Normandy's museums. And because today, too, artists are renewing our ways of seeing and thinking about the world, Normandy Impressionist is part of the dynamic of its time and, in turn, invites artists, writers, musicians, dancers, and others to present their most recent creations.

Normandie Impressionniste is a Public Interest Group made up of 35 local authorities in Normandy. Its nine founding members are 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, Le Havre Seine Métropole and the Caen la Mer Urban Community.

The 2026 edition

The Normandy Impressionist Festival returns for its 6th edition from May 27th to September 29th, 2026!

Building on the success of its record-breaking 2024 edition, which attracted over 2 million visitors, the Normandy Impressionist Festival returns from May 29 to September 27, 2026 for its 6th edition.

The year 2026 marks a major moment in art history: the centenary of Claude Monet's death in Giverny. For forty-three years, Monet shaped his garden as a living work of art, composed with botanical touches, attentive to light, water, and the metamorphoses of living things. This garden, both real and dreamlike, helped propel his painting towards abstraction and pave the way for modernity.