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Artistic Lille
About the 'Atelier de la Monnaie'
In 1956, a group of Lille students organized a radical
protest movement in opposition to the formal constraints
of the Fine Art School's conventional education. Roger
Frézin, Pierre Olivier, Claude Vallois, Jean-Pierre
Dutour, Jean Brisy, Jean Parsy and Lyse Oudoire were
the founders of this association established in 1957
and called the Atelier de la Monnaie in reference to
its headquarters which were located in the former offices
of the Governor of the Mint at 61 rue de la Monnaie.
The goal of these young artists who wanted to free themselves
from academic constraints was to present contemporary
artwork at public events (their exhibits were held at
the Palais Rihour then in the former Saint-Sauveur hospital),
and thus introduce Lille residents to something the
city was lacking at the time.
This exhibition will present a selection of about 150
works exhibited at the interdisciplinary art fairs and
conferences for professional and amateur artists held
between 1957 and 1972.
Misunderstood by the public and critics at the time,
the Atelier de la Monnaie artists had the courage of
their convictions and made Lille a center for the presentation
and diffusion of contemporary art, an achievement to
which this exhibition pays hommage.
The Fine Arts Museum of Lille until
15 March 2008
Pays'âges
Pays'âges, without a doubt the largest and most
ambitious exhibit the Natural History Museum has ever
organized, covers more than 1000 m2 !
The reconstruction of an equatorial forest, giant insects,
numerous texts and informational videos illustrate how
coal was formed 300 million years ago and how, at the
time, gigantic marshes and lush forests covered the
northern region.
The second part of the exhibit is entirely dedicated
to the industrial exploitation of energy resources and
the resulting changes in the landscape. Diagrams, factory
models, steam engines, and industrial products from
the 19th century take visitors 100 to 200 years back
in time.
The visit ends with an examination of the present situation
: what will the future hold for these landscapes ? What
forms of energy will we use in the future ? Renewable
energy, sustainable development and social awareness
are at the heart of the discussion.
A delightful combination of scientific exhibits and
impressive museography !
The Natural History Museum until
3 August 2008
Zoo of Orsay
The musée d'Orsay and La Piscine organise together
an exhibition dedicated to the art of animals from 1850
to 1914.
The art of animals knew a tremendous development in
the 19th and early 20th centuries, encouraged by the
multiplication of public zoos and the development of
veterinary medicine.
Paintings, sculptures and art objects, essentially
from the musée d'Orsay, are on display with decorative
and anatomical photographs and drawings.
Renoir, Delacroix, Monet, Manet, Bonnard, Rosa Bonheur,
Pompon, Bugatti, Barye, Courbet, Gallé, Lalique
and other artists, who all excelled in this field, will
delight you.
La Piscine museum in Roubaix from 1st March to 25
May 2008
Goya
Along with Vélasquez, Francisco de Goya y Lucientes
(Fuendetodos, 1746 - Bordeaux, 1828) is one of the greatest
Spanish painters in the history of European art. He
was also an extraordinary illustrator and engraver.
The Los Caprichos series consists of 80 aquatinted prints
enhanced with engraving, etching, and dry-point engraving.
The first edition was printed in 1799 after two years
of work. The prints have no set order, but they can
be classified according to three major themes : social
satire, love relationships, and, finally, sorcery. The
supernatural plays a larger role in the works of the
latter theme.
Goya's Los Caprichos, a series of satirical images illustrating
a keen imagination, are like puzzles in that the subleties
of their interpretation give rise to numerous questions
about their meaning. By using these prints to explore
the human soul, Goya endowed them with a universal and
timeless language.
The Lille Fine Arts Museum owns a first edition copy
of Los Caprichos which it will display in its entirety.
The Fine Arts Museum of Lille 24
April to 28 July 2008 (dates may change)
Jeanne of Constantinople
Since her reign in the first half of the 13th century,
Countess Jeanne of Flanders has been a popular and captivating
figure of our regional history. Her name is linked to
important events, including the 1214 Battle of Bouvines.
Jeanne founded two hospices, Saint-Sauveur and Comtesse,
in Lille, her primary place of residence. The Hospice
Comtesse Museuem, which has recently been entirely restored,
will present this magnificent exhibition highlighting
the culture, arts and society of the 13th century. Numerous
artistic works, including sculptures, gold and silver
objects, and manuscripts, have survived to modern day
and provide accounts of what everyday life was like
during the period.
More than 100 to 120 works will be displayed in this
unique place where Jeanne's presence can still be felt.
These works include Medieval gold and silver, wood statuaries
(including 2 works on loan from the Louvre), pieces
from archeological excavations and illuminated manuscripts.
The exhibition will be organized around 5 themes : a
Medieval woman of politics ; a new feminine spirituality
; silver, gold, and reliquaries ; storytellers, minstrels,
scholars and illuminators ; and architecture at the
time of Jeanne of Constantinople.
The Hospice Comtesse Museum, Lille, 26 April to 3
August 2008
Braderie de Lille
The Braderie de Lille is Europe's largest flea market
and, without a doubt, one of the most well-known events
in France and abroad. It's the perfect opportunity to
find a rare treasure, hunt for a bargain or two, and,
most especially, to immerse oneself in an atmosphere
that reflects the town's warm, friendly and festive
image.
Between two and three million visitors stroll up and
down 200km of stall-lined city streets, entertained
by music and the numerous performances that take place
from 3 PM on Saturday to midnight on Sunday.
Enjoying a dish of 'moules-frites' (mussels served with
chips) has become a deeply-rooted tradition (500 tons
of mussels are consumed at the braderie) and is the
subject of a contest between the town's restaurants
to see who can build the highest mountain of empty mussel
shells !
6 and 7 September 2008
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Loitering through the old town...
Everything begins at the Palais Rihour, settlements
of an old palace from the 15th century, that reminds
us of the ducs of Burgundy. It's one of the only Lille
settlements in flamboyant gotic architecture. Outside,
on the place Rihour, a glass piramide eluminates an
underground station.
La rue de la vieille Comédie reminds us of the
passage of Voltaire in 1741.
La place du Général de Gaulle, stays with
its numerous terraces, that are full to the brim day
and night, the meeting place for the people of Lille.
La place du Théatre offers an overflow of extraordinairy
architecture: the opera in neo-classic - the chambre
of commerce in neo-flemish style - le rang du Beauregard
from the end of the 17th century.
La rue de la Grande Chaussée is one of the most
elegant streets of the city with it's luxury shops and
it's haute couture shops such as Hermès, Louis
Vuitton…
La rue des Chats Bossus, with in number 3, one of the
most pretty fishrestaurants of France, "l'Huîtrière",
with an art-déco interior of 1928. La rue Esquermoise,
with the 'temple des douceurs', confectioner's shop
Meert, the oldest confectioner of Lille dating from
1839.
Visit of a technological site : Euralille
The station Lille Europe, a show-case of 400m²
long, a glass front of 15 metres high houses the TGV.
The adjoining underground station unites all the means
of transportation. Metro Val, TGV, parking, highspeed
trail and the future Casino of Lille with slot machine.
The top of La tour du Crédit Lyonnais is made
of metal and glass, the bottom part consists of stone
and glass.
Tour Lille Europe and l'Atrium (25 floors), a mixture
of concrete, metal squares, cables and glass offers
it's services to companies.
Centre Euralille, more than 130 boutiques, 7 average
areas, a hypermarket and restaurants are devided over
2 floors.
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The beaches in the north. The beaches of fine sand,
the preserved dunes, a considerable historical patrimonium
and the Flemish Opalcoast offer pleasure. You can visit
the strengthened towns Gravelines or Bergues and the
portmuseum of Dunnkerque, the 3rd port of France.
Le Touquet Paris Plage is a seaside resort with authentic
charm. Let yourselve be seduced by the light and the
green of hotel Holiday Inn Resort, close to the shopping
streets and the casino's. Work and pleasure go together
in this whole, complete with sportfacilities. Covered
pool, jacuzzi, tennis, fitnessroom, table tennis, biliard
and cycling.
Bruges is a city with multiples faces, multiculturel
that reunites the lovers of the whole world. Easy access,
only one hour from Lille. Bruges can be visited on foot,
by horse or by boat. It's multiple walking streets permit
you to wander around in the midst of small romantique
places with statues of flemish painters such as Jan
Van Eyck. The numerous museums reunite the work of different
times, from Baroque and Renaissance to the neo-classicisme
of the 18th and 19th century. When fatigue sets in,
allow yourselve a priviliged moment on the canals of
Bruges. Your romantic stay can not go smoodly without
the Relais Oud Huis Amsterdam, an idyllic place with
an uncomparable charm situated in the heart of the city
opposite a lovely canal.
Le centre historique minier de Lewarde. This museum
presents 3 centuries of minehistory in the region Nord-Pas
de Calais. Former mineworkers guide you through the
450 metres long renovated galaries. They tell you about
the working- and living conditions of the men and women
in the mines.
Walking in the hills. From the Mont de Cats to the Mont
Noir, the Flemish countryside offers you a diversity of
landscapes. The mills unfold their sails around the hills,
numerous walkingpaths bring you from village to village. |
