Painters and the Opal Coast: a whole history
The designation of Côte d'Opale of our beautiful coastline has its origin in painting and arts. In 1911, it was Édouard Lévêque, a painter from Le Touquet, who decided to call the coastline of Le Touquet in particular, and the entire coastline between Le Crotoy and Equihen-Plage, "Côte d'Opale", in homage to its particular light. Since then, the name has remained, and has earned Le Touquet the nickname of "Pearl of the Opal Coast".
At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, a great number of painters began to frequent the Opal Coast. Marine painting was particularly popular at the time, due to its striking nature, its picturesque scenes of life, the atmosphere of the ports or the many technical details of the ships. Moreover, the development of railroads made many cities accessible to painters who were then staying in their own territory. According to their pied-à-terre, these painters were nicknamed the Wissant school, the Etaples school of painters or the Berck painters.
It is the school of Wissant which initiates the movement, with the leading couple Adrien and Virginie Demont-Breton, who will welcome others like Henri Duhem, Fernand Stévenart, Marie Huhem-Sergeant, Félix Planquette and Valentine Pèpe.
Then, a year later, Etaples became a favorite place for Parisians, and more than 200 painters came to settle between 1882 and 1914, forming the Etaples School of Painters. They were French (Eugène Chigot, Henri-Eugène Le Sidaner), but also American, Australian or Scandinavian, giving the place a very particular artistic effervescence, which is partly reflected in La Maison du Port and its thirty or so works. The city is indeed very appreciated for its authenticity, its natural landscapes and its easy access by train from Paris.
For Berck, we can mention Edouard Manet, Eugène Boudin, Louis Montaigu or Charles Roussel. All this artistic enthusiasm will be partly stifled by the Great War, but has left a lasting impression on the region, and many museums still pay tribute to the famous painters of the Opal Coast. Exhibitions are also frequent, such as "Intimacy(s)" presented in 2020.
From the end of June to the end of November 2021, a first edition of the "Chemin des peintres de la Côte d'Opale" (Opal Coast Painters' Trail) is organized by the Pas-de-Calais region in order to promote the works of these painters in partnership with many communes. Whether by the sea or in natural sites, 82 large format panels will help you discover the works of the Opal Coast painters. This path also takes you to the Maison du Port départemental in Etaples, which exhibits some thirty works on the premises, and to the Château d'Hardelot.
Numerous artistic venues
The Côte d'Opale is particularly dynamic in terms of culture and the arts, and there are plenty of places to cultivate a taste for the arts. In Calais, the Musée des Beaux-Arts invites visitors to discover the town and its artists, with the "Calais, d'ici et d'ailleurs" collection and its 150 works, including some by Calais artists (Louis Francia, Jeanne Thil, etc.), photographs of early 20th-century Calais, old Flemish paintings, English watercolors and works by Bourdelle, Picasso, Roulland, Carpeaux...
In Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, the more eclectic museum exhibits Harcourt portraits, post-impressionist and abstract paintings, as well as a rich collection of modern and contemporary art. There are also works by Côte d'Opale painters such as Speedy Graphito, Sonia Delaunay, Marie Duhem and Eugène Chigot.
In Dunkirk, the FRAC Nord-Pas-de-Calais has been in existence since 1996 and boasts over 1,500 works and one of the largest design collections in France, while the Cité de la dentelle et de la mode in Calais explores the art of lacemaking. In a former 19th-century lace factory, you can appreciate the industrial past surrounding lace, as well as its impact on fashion. An exhibition gallery is devoted to the great couturiers and young designers, while the news gallery showcases the current textile and fashion scene.
When it comes to crafts, a visit to Desvres is a must. There's the Métiers d'art village, with its stores, workshops and guided tours, as well as the Musée de la Céramique, with its ten themed rooms retracing the town's ceramic activity through the centuries. And don't miss the Musée du Dessin et de l'Estampe in Gravelines, where you can learn about printmaking techniques and admire original works.
And what about the 7th art?
It's impossible to talk about cinema on the Côte d'Opale without mentioning Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, shot in 2017. The film required considerable resources, involving over 2,000 extras and 450 technicians. The film's economic impact on the Dunkirk region is estimated at between 5 and 7 million euros.
For the record, the film Dunkirk was shot in climatic conditions that were not those prevailing at the time of the event depicted (Operation Dynamo and the rescue of nearly 330,000 men fleeing the Germans). At the time, it was the fine weather that made such a large-scale evacuation possible.
As the weather was changeable on our coasts, it was necessary to distort reality somewhat. It's also worth noting that the use of computer-generated images was limited, the director having favored shooting in the streets of Dunkirk, which for many remained very authentic.
Other films include Yolande Moreau's Quand la mer monte, shot in Béthune, Quelqu'un de bien with Patrick Timsit, Welcome with Vincent Lindon and the recent L'Empire with Fabrice Luchini. On the series front, one of the episodes of TF1's highly acclaimed series HPI, due to air in 2021, was partly shot in Berck, not forgetting other less recent series such as Capitaine Marleau and Les Petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie.
