International Open-Air Painting Festival

In the Footsteps of the Impressionists in Les Andelys

The International Open-Air Painting Festival of Les Andelys is an international artistic event that celebrates the tradition of open-air painting in one of Normandy's most inspiring locations. Since 2017, the Association Festival Cultures Croisées (AFCC), chaired by the Franco-Russian artist Anna Filimonova, invites around twenty international painters each edition to create large-format works outdoors in the emblematic sites of Les Andelys: Petit-Andely, the banks of the Seine, the Collégiale Notre-Dame, and the majestic Château-Gaillard.

A Living Impressionist Heritage

Les Andelys holds a unique place in the history of painting. Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, and Paul Signac set up their easels here to capture the exceptional light of the Seine valley. The festival perpetuates this heritage by inviting contemporary artists from around the world—France, Russia, China, the United States, Japan—to paint these same landscapes with their own unique sensibility. The painters work on large canvases for several days, offering the public the fascinating spectacle of live creation.

Exhibitions, Meetings, and Awards Ceremony

The festival is structured around several highlights: a welcome evening at the Les Andelys town hall, public painting sessions every morning from 10 am at various sites in the town, exhibitions of the works created on the banks of the Seine open from 2 pm, and workshops at the Musée Nicolas Poussin. A jury awards prizes for the best creations. The event is supported by the Department of Eure, the Normandy Region, and local cultural partners. Since 2025, the festival has adopted a biennial rhythm, alternating with other sites in Normandy.