Discover Pont-Aven, the city of painters
Take advantage of your stay in South Finistère to visit the small town of Pont-Aven, just thirty kilometers from Camping La Roche Percée. Between Concarneau and Quimperlé, this village of character nestled in its Breton estuary owes its worldwide renown to the painter Paul Gauguin, precursor of modern art, who immortalized it many times in his paintings.
Why La Cité des Peintres?
In 1886, Paul Gauguin decided to settle there for a while, followed by young artists such as Émile Bernard and Paul Sérusier. Together, they created Synthétisme, a revolutionary pictorial style that gave rise to the École de Pont-Aven. Gauguin signs some of his most famous works. For several decades, Paul Gauguin ‘s Breton haunt continued to attract artists from France and abroad, earning it the nickname “The City of Painters”. Heir to a rich artistic past, Pont-Aven continues the tradition with numerous art galleries in the town center.
In the footsteps of the artists of Pont-Aven
The Pont-Aven Museum
Located in the heart of the city of painters and artists, the [ Musée de Pont-Aven ] [ www.museepontaven.fr ] is essentially devoted to the artists of the Pont-Aven school and the heirs to the style initiated by Paul Gauguin in the 1860s. Paintings by the Pont-Aven school(Paul Gauguin, Émile Bernard, Paul Sérusier, Georges Lacombe, Maurice Denis…) are one of the highlights of the collection, which comprises almost 4,000 works and documents.
La pension Gloanec
Located in the town center, this inn was one of the painters’ favorite haunts in Pont-Aven. When Paul Gauguin arrived in Finistère, he took up residence in this small boarding house, renowned for its good food and modest prices. Now a bookshop, the Pension Gloanec remains faithful to its artistic history, and regularly organizes meetings, talks, readings and book signings.
The Bois d’Amour (the Painters’ Promenade)
Along the riverAven, the Bois d’Amour is one of the most emblematic spots in the city of painters. This shady promenade has inspired many artists, including Paul Sérusier and his famous “Talisman”. Leaving the banks of theAven, a narrow road leads to the chapel of Notre-Dame de Trémalo, home to the polychrome wooden Christ that inspired Gauguin’ s painting “Le Christ jaune”. The chapel is open to the public every day.
Walks and hikes in Pont-Aven
A 9 km loop circuit between river and undergrowth allows you to discover the places painted by Gauguin and his friends: the banks of theAven, the Moulin Neuf, bathing at the Moulin du Bois d’Amour, the Moulin du Plessis, the Trémalo chapel, etc. On the way back, small paths lead you through the countryside back to your starting point. Also worth discovering: the Promenade Xavier Grall, a pedestrian itinerary that runs alongside the riverAven, its mills, washhouses and footbridges, in a magnificent floral setting.
Some like to come to Pont-Aven to take in the scenery, others to take in the galettes from the famous Breton cookie factory. It’s impossible to leave without a pretty box of galettes de Pont-Aven, featuring La Belle Angèle, Les Lavandières or La ronde des petites Bretonnes.