Unmissable September events in France: antiques, art and cinema

1. Mussel in on antiques bargains

Bargain hunters and seafood fans alike will be flocking to the streets of Lille on the weekend of September 6-7 for the annual antiques fair.

For this year’s edition, many antiques dealers will line up along the boulevards Louis XIV and de la Liberté, while there will also be a large gathering of professional vendors specialising in antiques from the UK, between Rue de la Porte de Roubaix and Rue de l’Opéra.

Organisers advise getting there early. “As with any garage sale or fair, the first day of the Braderie de Lille offers you the chance to pick up the best bargains (objects, antiques, games, decorations, toys, books...),” they say.

To be even more sure of getting what you want, grab a Braderie de Lille map to locate specialist vendors you are interested in. And do not forget to book a seafood restaurant spot for lunch, joining in the tradition for enjoying moules-frites. Watch the piles of shells grow!

2. Le Havre ferry stop with a view

Those who live near, or are travelling to the UK from, the Channel ferry port of Le Havre, have until September 21 to enjoy Un été au Havre (A Summer In Le Havre) – the summer spectacular featuring large-scale new works of contemporary art dotted around town. 

Since 2017, the city of Le Havre, with its concrete and modernist architecture by Auguste Perret (as featured in the August edition of Connexion, see page 17 of French Living), has proven itself to be the ideal setting for monumental and contemporary art.

This year’s works – installed in streets, beaches and other unexpected nooks and crannies – touch on a wide range of subjects including climate change, war, dreams, wind and gender. “Each artist brings their own vision to reveal the singularity and unique character of the city,” say organisers.

Un été au Havre runs until September 21.

3. American cinema comes to Normandy

Connexion readers in northern France with a passion for films should head to Deauville, the glitzy seaside resort on the Côte Fleurie in Normandy, for the 51st edition of the American Cinema Festival.

It is one of the biggest European festivals that opens venue doors to the public – committed cinema lovers can book a Festival Pass giving access to over 80 films, excluding screenings, for €164, while day passes are also available.

Elsewhere, expect competitions, tributes and films showcasing new American talent. Runs from September 5-14.

4. Hepworth on the French Riviera

Influential Yorkshire-born sculptor Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) – famed for being among the St Ives (Cornwall) colony of artists – is the subject of a major new retrospective exhibition at the superb Fondation Maeght at St-Paul de Vence – which boasts one of the most impressive contemporary art collections in Europe.

“This exhibition will shine a light on Hepworth’s wide-ranging interests and how they infused her art practice,” says the exhibition curator, Eleanor Clayton. “Deeply spiritual and passionately engaged with political, social and technological debates in the 20th century, Hepworth was obsessed with how the physical encounter with sculpture could impact the viewer and alter their perception of the world.”

Barbara Hepworth: Art & Life traces her work from early modernist carvings from the 1920s and 1930s, right through to later large-scale commissions, and runs until November 2. Entry, €18.