Normandy: Where Impressionism Was Born. Following the light through Honfleur and Le Havre.

Impressionists with Norman roots:

• Claude Monet – born in Le Havre in 1840
• Eugène Boudin – born in Honfleur in 1824
• Raoul Dufy – born in Le Havre in 1877
• Jean-Francis Auburtin – born in Le Havre in 1866
• Paul-Élie Gernez – born in Honfleur in 1888

Others, like Courbet, Jongkind, Sisley, and Renoir, were frequent visitors, drawn to Normandy by its shimmering light, wide skies, and untamed coastlines.

Honfleur: Where the Clouds Began

At the top of a hill overlooking the historic harbor of Honfleur stands the Musée Eugène Boudin, named after the artist who many consider a precursor and spiritual godfather of Impressionism.

Eugène Boudin, born in Honfleur in 1824, was one of the first French painters to work en plein air. He had no interest in mythological grandeur — only in the sky, the sea, the wind, and how light danced across them.

In 1858, a young Claude Monet met Boudin, who would change the course of his life. Encouraging the 18-year-old to paint nature directly, Boudin opened the door to a new way of seeing.

“If I have become a painter, I owe it to Eugène Boudin.”
— Claude Monet

Claude MONET

«Étretat»

1884

Eugène BOUDIN

«Hut on Mount Panno»

1897

Fernand ERBA

«Honfleur. Le Pool Carnot»

1975

Paul-Elie GERNEZ

«Le port aux drapeaux»

1914

Henri DE SAINT-DELIS

«La plage et la jetée de Honfleur»

1920-1940

Jean DRESS

«Sébastien Dormant (fils de l'artiste)»

1952

What you’ll find at the museum:

• Boudin’s luminous seascapes, beach scenes, and harbor studies
• Portraits of local life: women in traditional dress, fishermen, sailboats
• Works by Boudin’s contemporaries, including Courbet, Jongkind, and Dubourg
• A charming collection of Norman folk art — costumes, furniture, and vernacular beauty
• Regular exhibitions that explore Normandy’s artistic legacy

This museum is intimate, honest, and deeply rooted in place. It doesn’t just bear Boudin’s name — it carries his vision of light as a subject in itself.

Paul-Élie GERNEZ

«Les Vaches»

1914

Henry DE SAINT-DELIS

«Le marché place Sainte-Catherine»

1922

Jacques BOUYSSOU

«La Mairie de Honfleur»

1952

Antoine-Victor JOINVILLE

«La poudrière de Honfleur Huile sur toile»

1827

Jean SOUVERBIE

«Nature morte au compotier de cerises»

1947

Pierre DE BELAY

«Le marché Sainte-Catherine à Honfleur»

1928

Le Havre: From Cows to Clouds

Just across the Seine estuary lies Le Havre, home to the stunning MuMa — Musée d’Art Moderne André Malraux. Rebuilt after WWII in striking glass-and-concrete modernism, MuMa stands literally at the edge of the sea, flooded with the light that inspired the paintings it holds.

Inside, you’ll find a breathtaking collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masters:

• Claude Monet, Le Havre’s most famous son
• Auguste Renoir, with portraits that shimmer like silk
• Alfred Sisley, painting the Norman skies
• Johan Barthold Jongkind, the Dutch forerunner of the movement
• Raoul Dufy, whose coastal works vibrate with energy and light

Among them is also a bold and vivid painting of cows by Paul-Élie Gernez, showing how Impressionism’s legacy flowed into the color-drenched optimism of early modernism. (Yes — the cows are in Le Havre.)

Musée d’Art Moderne André Malraux

«Pictures with cows»

1888-1948

Eugène Boudin

«Landscapes»

1888-1896

Alfred Sisley

«Le Long à Saint-Mammès»

1885

Auguste Renoir

«Femme vue de dos»

1875-1876

Auguste Renoir

«Portrait de Nini Lopez»

1876

Auguste Renoir

«Baie de Salerne»

1881

Henri Matisse

«Nature morte au pichet»

1954

Albert Marquet

«Quai des Grands-Augustins»

1905-1906

Eugène Delacroix

«Paysage à Champrosay»

1863

Beyond the Walls: Art Meets the Sea

MuMa is not only a museum — it’s a continuation of the landscape. Outside its walls, art spills into the open air.

Along the harbor, you’ll see a striking installation called “Gold Coast” (2021) by the artist duo HeHe. Massive seaside rocks are gilded with gold leaf, transforming the industrial breakwater into something both poetic and provocative. They shimmer in the sun, echoing the gold of the gallery frames — but also hinting at capitalism, extraction, and our shifting relationship with nature.

Just steps away, a quiet sculpture of a man and a girl looks out toward the water — a simple, powerful image of transmission, memory, and the rhythm of the tide.

Why It Matters

To walk through these museums is to follow the story of light — from the first clouds painted by Boudin, through the shimmering atmospheres of Monet and Renoir, to the contemporary reflections outside MuMa.

Impressionism wasn’t just a style. It was a revolution of perception. And in Normandy, it’s still alive — in the sky, the wind, the sea, and the art that keeps evolving with them.

Normandy is not only where Impressionism began.

It’s where it still breathes.

Johan Barthold Jongkind

«Quai à Honfleur»

1866

Raoul Dufy

«Sainte-Adresse»

1930

Raoul Dufy

«L'Orchestre symphonique»

1941

Félix Vallotton

«La Valse»

1893

Félix Vallotton

«Le Haut-de-forme, intérieur or The Visit»

1887

Jean Puy

«Crique en Bretagne»

1910

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