Le Portique promotes and values contemporary creation. As a place of production and dissemination, the centre promotes the influence of contemporary art and through its exhibitions presents emerging and established artists who explore different areas of art.

The programme is multi-faceted and draws up a panorama of current creation, inviting various mediums and multiplying the media. It takes place in a building located in the heart of Le Havre’s old town centre, thus bringing culture into the inhabitants’ daily lives. One of its missions is to educate the eye and foster access to works of art. Various tools are therefore available to visitors to extend their experience of the exhibition and deepen their knowledge. A team of facilitators completes this system designed to stimulate cultural practice. Workshops and visits are organized, inviting audiences to discover the exhibitions and their themes. These sessions combine artistic practice and the introduction to art history.

Le Portique is also involved in the field of artistic and cultural education, offering numerous interventions in school settings. Eager to address all audiences, the centre also initiates actions aimed at the audiences who cannot access cultural venues through the prism of agreements established between the health and justice sectors.

Le Portique develops numerous partnerships with local and regional structures and acts to disseminate culture throughout Normandy and to a wide range of audiences.
Le Portique is subsidized by Ville du Havre, Drac Normandie, Région Normandie and Département de la Seine-Maritime. It is a member of RN13bis, contemporary art network in Normandy and of the DCA, the French national network of contemporary art centres, since 2020.

Director: Patrick Lebret