DAVID HOCKNEY’S ‘A YEAR IN NORMANDY’ EXHIBITION
Bayeux, Normandy
Until 23 April 2023
British artist David Hockney is presenting ‘his’ Normandy at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum. The original work, recently on display in the main gallery of the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, takes the form of a 90-metre-long frieze celebrating the arrival of spring in the Normandy countryside. Painted on an iPad, it was greatly inspired by the thousand-year-old narrative embroidery. The Bayeux exhibition will bring Hockney’s frieze and its muse together in an unprecedented collaboration.
Bayeux Museum
THE CITÉ DU VITRAIL
Troyes, Grand Est
From 17 December 2022
A 3,000-square-metre site dedicated entirely to the art of stained glass, the stunning Cité du Vitrail opens in Troyes on 17 December 2022. It’s housed in the prestigious Hôtel-Dieu-le-Comte in the historic centre, with the entire west wing highlighting the work and artistic creations of the master glassmakers of yesterday and today. The visitor tour will present the different stages of production, the techniques used to produce the works, and reveal a backstage peek inside a glassmaker’s workshop.
Cité du Vitrail
THE HARTUNG-BERGMAN FOUNDATION
Antibes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
2023
Hans Hartung (1904-1989) and Anna-Eva Bergman (1909-1987) were key figures in modern art and key players in abstraction. They lived through the history of the 20th century and braved its dramas. In the 1960s, they acquired a two-hectare olive grove on the heights of Antibes and established their villa and studios there, according to their plans. This place where they lived and worked until the end of their lives is today a foundation that preserves exceptional collections of works and archives and constitutes a remarkable architectural ensemble, registered as 20th-century heritage.
Hartung-Bergman Foundation
GUÉDELON TURNS 25
Burgundy
2023
Guédelon is an example of experimental archaeology on a massive scale: a medieval castle built from scratch by a team of 50 master-craftsmen, in an unspoilt corner of northern Burgundy close to Sancerre and Chablis. Quarrymen, stonemasons, carpenters, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, painters and dyers, basket makers, millers, carters and their horses have united with archaeologists and historians to reveal the secrets of medieval builders. Guédelon also provides lessons in green building techniques for 21st-century construction and was featured in BBC five-part series Secrets of the Castle.
Guédelon
170TH ANNIVERSARY OF VAN GOGH’S BIRTH AND DEDICATED EXHIBITION
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
September 2023 – January 2024
To mark this anniversary, a special exhibition entitled ‘Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise: His Final Months’ will first be presented at the Van Gogh Museum before moving to the Musée d’Orsay in September. The artist came to Auvers, a village just north of Paris, from an asylum in Provence. During his 70 days there he completed 70 paintings, an astonishing achievement. With around 50 van Gogh paintings, the exhibition will be curated by Emmanuel Coquery.
Musée d’Orsay
BORDEAUX FÊTE LE VIN GOES ANNUAL
Bordeaux, Nouvelle Aquitaine
22-25 June 2023
A leading wine tourism festival, Bordeaux Fête le Vin has been attracting visitors from France and abroad for over two decades. Traditionally held every two years, this popular event has now become an annual event that will bring the city of Bordeaux to life every June. The event aims to promote the destination through its wines, its local artisan products and its heritage, with a programme focused on sharing, tasting and learning. Bordeaux Fête le Fleuve, which traditionally took place in June every other year, will be replaced by the newly annual Bordeaux Fête le Vin.
Bordeaux Fête Le Vin
THE D-DAY MUSEUM RENOVATION AND NEW EXHIBITION SPACE
Arromanches, Normandy
From March 2023
Built in Arromanches to commemorate 6th June 1944 and the Battle of Normandy, the D-Day Museum has been totally renovated and is set to open its doors in March 2023. It boasts a new 1,200-square-metre exhibition space to help visitors understand the incredible technological challenge of building the prefabricated port – a gigantic project initiated by Winston Churchill – plus a recontextualised model gallery and a new monumental projection on the functioning of the port.
Musée Arromanches
NAUSICAÁ’S ‘GRAND LARGE’, A NEW IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE
Boulogne-sur-Mer, Hauts-de-France
Throughout 2023
There’s a new visitor experience at Europe’s largest aquarium just across the Channel, aiming to raise awareness of the importance of ocean conservation and preservation. Discover the high seas and meet the majestic animals that inhabit it, thanks to an augmented reality system in one of Nausicaá’s most fascinating spaces: The Great Bay, with its 100-square-metre window. Visitors wear a pair of Microsoft HoloLens 2 smart glasses with high-definition holograms. The experience was first introduced in 2022 and will be available throughout 2023.
Nausicaa Grand Large
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FÊTE DES REMPARTS
Dinan, Brittany
22-23 July 2023
Next year marks 40 years of this spectacular medieval festival. Rediscover the daily life of our ancestors and take the opportunity to explore the medieval city of Dinan with its emblematic chateau, ramparts, clock tower, Cordeliers convent and Saint-Sauveur basilica. Knights’ tournaments, a grand parade and a large medieval market create a colourful weekend as Dinan rediscovers its customs of yesteryear and offers you a trip back in time.
The Fete des Remparts
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF PICASSO’S DEATH
Paris
2023
A commission organised by the French and Spanish governments has coordinated 42 exhibitions under the name of ‘Picasso Celebration 1973-2023’ at several top European and American institutions. Among the establishments set to honour Picasso’s life and artistic legacy is Paris’ Centre Pompidou. Picasso lived much of his adult life in Montmartre, in the north of the French capital. Next year will also see the unveiling of the new Centre for Picasso Studies at the Musée National Picasso-Paris.
Centre Pompidou
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