Auberge de Marie Henry, Art museum in Le Pouldu, Clohars-Carnoët, France
Auberge de Marie Henry is an art museum in Le Pouldu that recreates the interior of a late 19th-century beach inn where artists gathered, with reproductions of original wall paintings and period furniture throughout its rooms. The building displays how the spaces looked during that era, including painted ceilings and walls that reflect the artistic work of its residents.
Marie Henry opened the beach inn in 1889, and it quickly became a gathering place for painters seeking a quiet retreat. During the winter of 1889-1890, Paul Gauguin, Meyer de Haan, and Paul Sérusier stayed there and left their artistic marks on the dining room walls.
The dining room displays exact reproductions of artworks that Paul Gauguin and Meyer de Haan painted directly onto the walls and ceilings of the original establishment. These decorated surfaces were part of the daily life and creative process of the artists who stayed and worked here.
The museum provides digital tablets, video presentations, and guided tours during summer months to help visitors understand the art and artists on display. A marked painters' trail begins from the building and passes several locations where artists once worked and found inspiration in the area.
During their stay, Meyer de Haan and Paul Gauguin transformed the original dining room into an art installation by painting every surface from ceiling to floor. This improvisational form of art was unusual for its time and turned an ordinary eating space into a living artwork.
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