The India Company
Art has long been honored in Morbihan. In the 17th century, the Compagnie des Indes was created and its port was established in Lorient to promote trade with Asia. Among the items imported into France, Morbihan saw the arrival of many "exotic" art objects, prized by the rich Europeans. We find porcelain with floral motifs, such as tea sets and various tableware, but also lacquerware, furniture... This period marks an intensification of exchanges between countries, encouraging the mixing of inspirations, the evolution of artistic tastes and fashions... You can observe pieces of these collections at the Museum of the Compagnie des Indes in Lorient, in the citadel of Port-Louis.
Belle-Île-en-Mer and its painters
Belle-Île has always been a muse for many painters. Among others, great impressionists succumbed to its exceptional light, like the Australian John-Peter Russel, friend of Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec, who discovered the island with Claude Monet in 1886. He stayed there for twenty years and painted many works, such as The Red Sail, port of Goulphar, not far from his studio, whose warm colors he immortalized. As for the founder of the impressionist movement, Claude Monet himself, we have several dozen magnificent paintings from his one visit, inspired by the stormy atmosphere and wild cliffs of the island, which he helped to make famous, notably with his painting The Needles of Port Coton. Other great painters used their brushes on the island, such as Matisse, friend of the two previous ones, and later Georges Clairin, with his portrait of Sarah Bernhardt, a well-known resident of Belle-Île, or Vasarely, in a more modern and abstract style.
And elsewhere..
Of course, the whole of Morbihan is a land of inspiration, and it is not the inhabitants of Le Faouët who will tell you otherwise. This place, which undoubtedly attracts contemporary artists, was the birthplace of Elisabeth Sonrel's watercolors and gouaches in the last century. She particularly liked to paint the traditional life of the Breton women. Finally, there are many artists who have travelled through the most beautiful landscapes of the department and who have found inspiration in the infinite nuances of these sumptuous territories.
Galleries and artists' studios
Today, you will find galleries and workshops of painters, sculptors and other artists, each more original than the other, in many key places of the department. Among these, the peninsula of Rhuys is the place of predilection where some talented artists have established themselves, using various and sometimes surprising techniques! Sculptures, paintings, mosaics and other creations are hidden behind these doors that you just have to push! Who knows, you might even enjoy an initiation to one or the other of these techniques, with the breathtaking scenery of the Gulf of Morbihan as a model? Anyway, you will meet many artists throughout the department, from Quiberon to Pontivy and from Faouët to La Gacilly!
Outdoor art escapades
During a stopover inland, you can walk in the gardens of the castle of Trédion, between Vannes and Ploërmel, where some surprising sculptures await you! For an even more disconcerting discovery in this area, go to the Universe of the Poète Ferrailleur, in Lizio, where the imagination is put into objects, machines, animated sculptures and bohemian projects by the artist Robert Coudray... In Bignan, near Pontivy, the castle of Kerguéhennec, today a Center of Contemporary Art, will also make you travel through the varied sculptures of international artists installed in its park..
Photography in the spotlight
It goes without saying that the department is a favorite place for photographers! And it gives it back to them, especially by putting their works in the spotlight in La Gacilly every year, during an open-air exhibition lasting several months, internationally recognized, not to be missed if you like this art!
From the end of the 19th century, many photographers settled in the region, first in the big cities like Lorient, then in the villages. If portraits are at first the most practiced type of photography, the development of advertising also favors photographers, before the more artistic aspect of this activity is gradually recognized.
Today, you can meet many photographers in the department, and get their most original pictures as souvenirs, or order a personalized shooting in the Morbihan setting of your choice!
The EESAB of Lorient
This proven link between the department and the fine arts can be seen in the creation of the École supérieure d'art de Lorient in 1961. In 2010, this school became EESAB, or the European School of Art of Brittany, by merging with the schools of Brest, Quimper and Rennes. Guarantor of the future of the plastic and audiovisual arts, this renowned school is a place of meetings and sharing of rich experiences... Exhibitions, conferences and seminars are organized there, sometimes open to the public and allowing to soak up the news of the sector.
Street art
It's the big trend! In Morbihan, we celebrate street art! The B.R.E.F Rive Gauche ("Bar, Ruche artistique, Ephémère et Fertile") in Vannes is a fascinating place! Its visit will project you in different universes and new atmospheres, sometimes bewitching, sometimes destabilizing! An experience of art in all its dimensions, pushed to the limit by exceptional artists. Vannes is also home to impressive murals, to be discovered during tours in the medieval quarter, with a guide, or on your own! But street art is not confined to the walls of Vannes, and Lorient and its neighbor Pont-Scorff are redoubling their imagination to shake up the codes and propose new creations!
