The paint
It is probably the best known, the most practiced, the most prolific art here: the Channel has given to the fine arts a great number of painters, since the 17th century. Among the most famous, Camille Corot, Guillaume Fouace, Suzanne Valadon - herself the mother of Maurice Utrillo - or Jean-François Millet: the latter deserves a few more words, as his career is so closely linked to the department. Born in the Hague in 1814, he left to study fine arts in Paris, thanks to a pension granted by the city of Cherbourg and the Conseil Général de la Manche. After several difficult years, he made his first sales by illustrating the work of the land (among his most famous paintings, Les Glaneuses is exhibited at the Musée d'Orsay), then he took, like others, a turn towards landscapes and chiaroscuro. He died in 1875, leaving behind him countless illustrations of the region. In another register, it cannot be said enough: Normandy is the cradle of the impressionist painters. If they are not the most numerous in the department (compared to its neighbors), they have nevertheless been able to sublimate the local landscapes.
The sculpture
Here, you will find countless sculptures: in bronze, stone, steel, they are everywhere and pay tribute to departmental or sometimes national figures: Napoleon, Joan of Arc, Alexis de Tocqueville or Barbey d'Aurevilly are worthily and magnificently illustrated by statues or busts. In addition, many cultural events related to this art are held here. For example, the festival of the banks of the Vire, every year at the initiative of the Utopik Factory, or the international symposium of sculpture on stone of Cerisy-la-Forêt, which makes it possible to admire many works in the park of the Abbey of the city.
The cinema
La Manche is a land of cinema: here, filming and festivals are numerous. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg remains the most famous film today: in 1963, Jacques Demy shot in the capital of the Cotentin with, of course, Catherine Deneuve, which will remain a monument of French cinema. If this film somewhat overshadows the other productions, they are nevertheless numerous, and some of them are famous: The Atlantic Wall was partly shot in Barfleur, Claude Miller's La Petite Voleuse in Barneville-Carteret, Biville or Carentan-les-Marais, and Jacques Perrin's incredible Peuple Migrateur (Migrating People ) in the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel. At the same time, television films, video clips and other visual performances are regularly made here: the natural setting is at its best!
Photography
At the time of social networks or filters of all kinds, we could almost think that the art of photography is lost, or that it is democratized. We would tend to forget that an art remains an art, and that a talent is not decreed! So yes, many people will find in the Channel incredible places, panoramas, spaces which they will diffuse the pictures according to the digital means of communication that everyone knows. However, we must keep in mind that many art galleries are dedicated to photography, that there are many artists in this field and that many professionals exist!
Numerous, eclectic and well distributed venues
The fine arts in the Manche department also have many dedicated museums. In Saint-Lô, for example, the Jean Lurçat cultural center houses one of the most beautiful collections of works in the department, some of which have been donated. Having undergone extensive work in 2019, it offers no less than 2,560 pieces, including more than 500 paintings by Camille Corot, Eugène Boudin or Gustave Moreau. You will also discover tapestries dating back to the 16th century and splendid sculptures. In Cherbourg, the Thomas-Henry museum offers a splendid collection of paintings (notably) with works by Guillaume Fouace or Jean-François Millet, among others. The Quesnel-Morinière museum, in Coutances, exhibits paintings by Rubens or Paul de Vos, as well as, in another register, typical Cotentin costumes and local furniture - true works of art in themselves! Finally, in Granville, the Richard Anacréon Museum of Modern Art allows you to discover his collection: Braque, Cocteau or Colette are honored in this very beautiful place whose museography will not leave you indifferent. Still in the city, the museum of old Granville (also called Museum of Art and History) will make you discover many prints, as well as a painting of Gustave Courbet. As you can see, the Manche region is not short of places to visit when it comes to painting. And that's not all: here, the infrastructures are also numerous. Among the original places to discover, the Utopik factory, in Tessy-Bocage: installed in former horticultural greenhouses, it welcomes artists and writers in residence. It hosts the "Bords de Vire" festival, which allows you to admire magnificent sculptures. Beyond that, regular meetings with the artists are organized. Another place not to be missed: the Point du Jour, in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. This photographic art center - whose architecture in itself is already a feat - offers numerous and rich exhibitions, in a modern building whose light effects make the place totally dedicated.
The other arts are not to be outdone: music has many festivals, from classical music to rock, theaters have magnificent settings and there are many stages. Finally, architecture is written here - in its remarkable places - mainly in the past: the remarkable historical buildings are most often long-standing.
In the end, La Manche is a land of arts that is almost infinite, and the multitude of places, works, festivals and other events make us strongly advise you to prepare your visit here in advance, in order to target your visits according to your interests. Beyond these few words, reading the guidebook you are holding in your hands will allow you to know more.
