Three centuries at Isle Adam: the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire Louis Senlecq's bucolic exhibition

Just 25 kilometers from the capital, L'Isle-Adam is a pretty town in the Val-d'Oise, where strollers can enjoy the lush greenery and gentle flow of the river. At the gateway to the Vexin nature park, this"earthly paradise", according to Balzac, has attracted numerous artists who have found inspiration here, as well as princes on holiday. Three centuries of history, from princely residence to seaside resort, are recounted in the new exhibition at the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire Louis-Senlecq, from October 20, 2024 to September 21, 2025.

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This exhibition takes the general public on a chronological journey through the history and heritage of the city of Adam, from the 18th to the mid-20th century, thanks to numerous paintings, sculptures, watercolors, postcards and old photographs from the museum's collections. The town owes its golden age to the princes of Conti, when sumptuous parties were held in a restored château, with paved roads laid out in the forest for hunting.

In the 19th century, after the destruction wrought by the French Revolution, the town was reborn and developed into a series of suburban neighborhoods. It became a bourgeois town, both a vacation resort and an industrial city, with the arrival of the railroads in 1846 and better navigation conditions. Its setting between the forest and the banks of the Oise, next to the capital, attracted wealthy Parisians, who built or reclaimed estates.

Numerous paths were laid out to create bucolic walks, inspiring artists and painters such as Jules Dupré, Théodore Rousseau, Fernand-Just Quignon and Emilio Boggio. L'Isle-Adam was also famous for its production of decorative terracotta, whose factories were renowned until the Second World War. In the 20th century, the town became a seaside resort, thanks to its astonishing river beach, classified as a tourist resort in 1921.

Numerous social events were held here, as were nautical competitions, all of which helped to make L'Isle-Adam a leading destination of the time, and one that continues to appeal today!