Vagues 2. Hommages et digressions
from June 26 to September 27, 2004

The acquisition by the FRAC Haute-Normandie of a photograph by Swiss artist Balthasar Burkhard, Wave, taken in Étretat in 1995, in tribute to Courbet and his "seascapes", raises questions about the posterity of this theme in the 20th and early 21st centuries. The technical means available to artists have evolved considerably. Photography—whether colour or digital—and video provide a wealth of possibilities and open up endless new fields of experimentation, as artists take more and more liberties with the theme and create their own sea or storm as needed. The "new wave" is matter, surface and energy. The seaside is peopled with Venuses, little mermaids and surfers, with strange objects that bring it to life. Viewpoints are multiplied and enriched with scientific images and experiments that show the sea in a new light (scuba diving, journeys to far-away places, etc.).
More than 70 photographers and videographers, from the 1920s to the present day, invite us to view the ocean, its waves and the play of water in general. The sea reveals its fascinating appeal and the vast freedom it affords. Nearly 120 works carry us by waves into a water dreamland of homages to Courbet, encompassing seascapes and early photography to digressions and fantasy.