In 2026, the Normandy Impressionist Festival returns with an exceptional edition marking the 100th anniversary of Claude Monet’s death. For the first time in its history, the festival adopts a 100% contemporary programme, imagined as a dialogue between today’s artists and Monet’s revolutionary vision of nature, light and gardens.
From historic cities to coastal landscapes, abbeys, gardens and museums, Normandy becomes a vast open‑air gallery, inviting visitors to encounter contemporary creation in the very places that inspired the Impressionists.
Rooted in the Norman landscape, where Claude Monet developed his practice of painting outdoors, attentive to shifting light, atmosphere and fleeting sensations, the Normandy Impressionist Festival was conceived as an invitation to discover the region through art. Each edition honours the Impressionist legacy while opening new perspectives on artistic creation, turning Normandy itself into a living cultural journey.
Across Normandy, the festival creates a dialogue between artistic heritage and contemporary expression, linking iconic destinations such as Rouen, Giverny, Le Havre, Caen, Vernon, Honfleur, Deauville, Étretat, Lyons-la-Forêt, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin and the Mont-Saint-Michel.
2026 edition :
A Possible Garden
The 2026 edition, A Possible Garden, draws inspiration from Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny, a living artwork imagined and shaped by the painter himself.
Rather than looking back with nostalgia, this anniversary edition explores the lasting influence of Impressionism on contemporary creation. Following Monet’s vision, visitors are invited to discover how art continues to transform the way we experience landscapes, light and nature today.
Exhibitions, installations and performances take place in the very settings that inspired the Impressionists: gardens, riverbanks, seascapes, abbeys and historic towns. From vibrant cities to peaceful villages, each location becomes part of a shared artistic journey where art and landscape continuously respond to one another.
The festival offers a wide‑ranging programme including:
- contemporary art exhibitions
- outdoor installations and public artworks
- concerts and live performances
- cinema screenings and talks
- family‑friendly and participatory projects
Many works are presented outdoors or in public spaces, allowing for free, open and accessible encounters with contemporary art, each location offering a distinct atmosphere.
Highlights of the 2026 edition
Contemporary artists in dialogue with Monet
The 2026 edition brings together major figures of international contemporary art alongside emerging voices, presenting original works created especially for Normandy, including:
Opening Night in Rouen
30 may 2026 – Rouen
Rouen Cathedral becomes a canvas for a monumental video projection by Mika Ninagawa, accompanied by a DJ set from Barbara Butch.
A festive, free‑access evening where music, light and heritage come together.
Opening Week end in Vernon
31 may 2026 – Vernon
On the banks of the Seine, artist Cai Guo‑Qiang presents a unique daytime firework and drone performance, painting the sky in homage to Monet’s gardens
Exhibition : Water Lilies in Le Havre
From 5 June to 27 September 2026 – Le Havre
At the MuMa, Ai Weiwei presents Water Lilies, a monumental reinterpretation of Claude Monet’s Nymphéas made from 650,000 LEGO® pieces. Shown for the first time in France, this striking installation is both a tribute to Monet and to the artist’s father, Ai Qing, weaving personal memory, art history and contemporary politics into a powerful visual experience.
Exhibition : Radiance of Spring in Mont-Saint-Michel
From 29 May to 31 August 2026 – Mont-Saint-Michel
At the heart of the iconic Mont‑Saint‑Michel, Cai Guo‑Qiang unveils Radiance of Spring, an original exhibition of monumental gunpowder paintings inspired by Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny. Created through controlled explosions, these powerful, poetic works dialogue with the abbey’s architecture, transforming a material associated with destruction into a striking act of creation.
Exhibition : Fog Tree in Honfleur
From 30 May to 28 September 2026 – Honfleur
Renowned for her pioneering fog sculptures, Fujiko Nakaya transforms the surroundings of Saint‑Nicolas Church with an immersive installation of drifting mist. Reacting to architecture, air currents and humidity, the work creates an ever‑changing landscape that blurs the boundaries between nature and art, inviting visitors to experience space through movement, light and ephemerality.
Exhibition : Plantations in Giverny
From 17 July to 1 November 2026 – Giverny
Invited for a carte blanche at the Musée des impressionnismes Giverny, Daniel Buren presents Plantations, travaux in situ, a series of original interventions conceived in dialogue with the museum, its garden and Monet’s legacy. Using his iconic vertical stripes, Buren plays with color, light and perspective to reveal the space itself, inviting visitors to experience the site through renewed perception and movement
Many of these works are displayed outdoors or in public spaces, encouraging spontaneous, accessible encounters with contemporary art.