APPLES

From the forbidden fruit to the regional emblem

A universal and familiar fruit, the apple has traversed centuries and civilizations. In Normandy, it embodies an exceptional cultural, agricultural, and artistic heritage.

The 11th century marks the beginning of apple cultivation and domestication in Normandy. A privileged land for planting apple trees, the region has established itself over the centuries as the orchard of France. This sustainable development is characterized by the diversification of varieties and the rise of a structured and refined cider production. Rustic, nourishing, and popular, the apple is rooted in the customs and landscapes of Normandy and remains a living heritage to preserve. With the support of regional institutions and through commissions to artists, it has risen to the status of an icon, deeply marking the Norman identity.

The apple also occupies an important place in the collective imagination. Highly metaphorical, it feeds foundational tales, from the mythical garden of the Hesperides to the biblical Eden. In a certain ambivalence, it is a fruit of discord, temptation, or offering, symbolically navigating between good and evil.

This exhibition at the Museum of Art and History of Lisieux offers an exploration of the cultural history of the apple from two complementary angles: that of artistic tradition and the permanence of this motif throughout the history of art, and that of agricultural tradition and a millennia-old know-how that has become a regional emblem and vector of Normandy's values.

The ambition of this project is to showcase the collections of the three museums managed by the Lisieux Normandy Urban Community, while also utilizing loans from regional, national, and international institutions.

The exhibition serves as an entry point to a broader approach to the territory, particularly allowing for the

promotion of the conservation orchard of the Château-Musée de Saint-Germain-de-Livet through its opening to visits. It also resonates with the Museum of the Old Manor of Orbec, thanks to the presentation of advertising posters on this same theme.

General curatorship: Sophie Anfray, director of the Museum Pole

Practical information: 

All audiences

Entry fee: 3€ | free for those under 26 years old