Location & History

— Since the 1850’s, the village of Pont-Aven has been renowned as an international artist’s colony. Paul Gauguin, its best known artist - in - residence, was one of many. The village, which has a population of about 3,000 people, is located on the Aven River, nine kilometers inland from the south coast of Brittany on the Atlantic Ocean.

— The setting offers artists stunning natural beauty -- from wide, white sand beaches and dramatic coastal cliffs to rolling green hills marked by ancient stone walls, thatched roofed farmhouses and brilliantly colored flowers. The ancient standing stones of Carnac and other megalithic monuments; traces of a Druidic past; legends of Merlin and King Arthur; 16th century granite chapels; Celtic traditions of music, dance, language and culture; French joie de vivre: all these combine to create an inescapable and unique sense of place.

— Join the ongoing history of Pont-Aven! Let a rich past and a vibrant present animate and inform your future as an artist.

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