The Natural History Museum of Le Havre honours Australia through arts and sciences, with an exceptional exhibition which, coupled with the exhibitions presented at the Museums of Art and History and at the Municipal Archives within the framework of the Australian Stopover, makes Le Havre an exceptional heritage destination for Aboriginal and contemporary Australian art between June and November 2021.

220 drawings by Charles-Alexandre Lesueur and Nicolas-Martin Petit from Bonaparte’s expedition to Australia (1800-1804) will be presented alongside 46 contemporary Australian creations. The exhibition shows singular links: in time, in space. The objects are obviously ambassadors of cultures, but through them, Nature is also perceived.

Come to the southern lands this summer to discover the privileged links that unite the Museum of Le Havre with Australia, with the men and women of continental Australia, Tasmania and the Torres Strait islands. The exhibition, which combines exceptional heritage collections and contemporary creations, some of which were designed for the exhibition, offers an insight into the Australian culture of yesterday and today. 

The exhibition gives communities a voice on environmental issues of concern, but also allows them to make known or revive ancestral traditions. With the most complete collection of drawings by Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, official draftsman of the voyage of discovery to the Southern Lands, the Museum presents a selection of drawings and manuscripts in a new way. This scientific expedition is the starting point of the exhibition, which draws its strength from the presentation of “ambassador-objects”, witnesses to the links between France and Australia, both past and present. 

The exhibition is structured around three sections. The first section evokes scientific research and the dissemination of its results, from the voyage to the Southern Territories in 1800 to the present day. The second section takes the public on a journey to the heart of Aboriginal culture with a gallery of portraits taken during the expedition and contemporary objects from South Australia (Ngarrindjeri community) and Tasmania. The third section presents a true nature observation centre: through naturalist drawings (including numerous watercolours on vellum), the space will offer a look at natural environments and their inhabitants.

This unique encounter between scientific objects, art objects and contemporary objects drawing their source from ancient cultural traditions, opens a very current dialogue on intercultural links and on the environmental question. The exhibition also offers a space entirely dedicated to youth: five thematic and immersive workshops allowing young people to imagine themselves as travellers, discovering a territory and its inhabitants.

Details of the program and practical information on http://www.museum-lehavre.fr 

Photos:

Julie Gough, Interrupted (le Jardin), 2020, Terre, eau du lagon, oxydes, pigments d’aquarelles sur papier, 200 cm x 280 cm ©Le Havre, Muséum d’histoire naturelle – Cliché L.Lachèvre

Kalua, Racy Oui-Pitt, 2018, 93 x 30 x 31cm, Filet de pêche, fils plastiques, cordage © Le Havre, Muséum d’histoire naturelle – Cliché L.Lachèvre

Kangourou Macropus giganteus Shaw, 1790, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, Aquarelle et gouache sur vélin, 25,9 x 40,4 cm ©Le Havre, Muséum d’histoire naturelle