The Song of the Waves: From Sirens to Melusine

Mermaids and castles...

Immerse yourself inthe world ofwater and meet its legendary creatures! Withits rich visual and auditory atmosphere, this exhibition is designed for the whole family.

From mermaids to Melusine, you’ll encounter iconic female figures in many guises, who have stood the test of time and captured the imagination.

Alongside Melusine, the builder-fairy from medieval legends who would secretly transform herself whilst bathing, several ‘water spirits’ are brought to life in a presentation drawing on major works of literature and the arts.

A symbolic tale

This exhibition presents a collectionofcontemporary installations andobjects from the museum’s collections, telling the story of these water creatures from the Homeric myth of the bird-woman to more romantic and symbolist interpretations inspired by figures such as Gérard de Nerval and André Breton.

Alongside Melusine, the great mythical figures associated with the theme of water will emerge: nymphs of antiquity, sirens from myths and tales, ondines from the German Romantic imagination, russalki from Slavic legends, as well as the figure of Ophelia, who so fascinated the artists of Symbolism.

Whether they are harbingers of doom, nurturers or symbols of impossible love, these hybrid beings are eternal muses, constant sources of fascination.

A travelling exhibition

Following on from the Musée Benoît-de-Puydt in Bailleul, the Château de Puyguilhem, Pierrefonds Castle, the Towers of La Rochelle, Carrouges Castle, the Château d’Angers National Estate and Bussy-Rabutin Castle, it is now the turn of Voltaire’s Castle to host this travelling exhibition organised by Monuments Nationaux.