Le Temps des Collections: 7 free exhibitions in Rouen’s museums

In a museum, the works on display are often just the tip of the iceberg. The greater part of the collections is usually hidden away, in the storerooms, far from visitors’ view.

To bring these works into the spotlight, each year the Réunion des Musées Métropolitains de Rouen presents “Le temps des collections“. A cycle of exhibitions during which works are brought out of storage. The 2024 edition explores the symbolism of rivers, in all their forms, at once a source of energy, a commercial artery, a place of culture, but above all – and from time immemorial – a source of inspiration for artists. Here’s a closer look at some of the exhibitions on show in Rouen over the weekend.

This article was produced in collaboration with the Réunion des Musées Métropolitains de Rouen

Awaken your inner explorer!

Rouen is a land of culture, but also a land of exploration! Thanks to its proximity to the Seine, the city has always been a strategic port, a link between sea and land, as far back as antiquity.

The Musée Beauvoisine, born of the merger of the Musée des Antiquités and the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, invites you to step into the shoes of an explorer with a particularly immersive exhibition. Build your tour at your own pace, pushing back curtains to discover faraway lands. Open your eyes, ears and nostrils in this sensory installation designed for young and old alike, in the form of an invitation to travel. A must-see!

Beauvoisine Museum
 198 rue Beauvoisine, Rouen
 Tuesday to Saturday, 1:30 to 5:30 pm, Sunday 2 to 6 pm
 Free admission

Water, an inexhaustible source of energy

Water is not only a source of navigation, it’s also an inexhaustible source of energy. The Corderie Vallois industrial museum is no stranger to this, as it is housed in a former rope factory that was (and still is!) powered by water.

In the “Water, a source of energy” exhibition, the museum looks back at the inventions that tamed water and harnessed its energy; the industrial development of Rouen thanks to water; and the hydroelectric dams that make water France’s leading renewable energy source.

Corderie Vallois Museum
 185 route de Dieppe, Notre-Dame-de-Bondeville
 Daily, 1.30 pm to 6 pm
 Free admission

How about a cup of tea by the water?

If ceramics is an art that leaves you cold, you’ll certainly change your mind when you visit the Musée de la Céramique in Rouen. Here, you’ll discover the full range of this delicate art form.

For Le temps des collections, the museum is presenting a royal tea service acquired in 2018 that celebrates the banks of the Seine and Normandy. Made by the Sèvres factory at the request of Louis Philippe, who presented it to Queen Marie-Amélie, this service is a masterpiece depicting several perspectives of Rouen, Dieppe, Tancarville and Darnétal.

Other works on the theme of water, such as this sphere depicting sea creatures or this Chinese porcelain, are on display in the heart of the collection.

Musée de la Céramique
 1 rue Faucon, Rouen
 Open daily except Tuesdays, from 2 pm to 6 pm
 Free admission

And also…

Other museums in the RMM network present exhibitions on the theme of the River: the Fabrique des savoirs takes you on a voyage against the current; Corneille’s birthplace looks at water in the playwright’s work; the Flaubert museum explores the links between the writer and the river, while the Musée des Beaux-Arts highlights Le Cours de la Seine, a rediscovered masterpiece by Dufy.

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Practical information

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This article was produced in collaboration with the Réunion des Musées Métropolitains de Rouen