Being in the great outdoors
With the Joliot-Curies, it was physical! The sporting feats of a scientific community
By Musée Curie
This exhibition was developed as part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
With the Joliot-Curie family, it was physical!
This exhibition, based on previously unseen archives, offers a new perspective on Frédéric and Irène Joliot-Curie. Beyond the Nobel Prize and their commitments, it reveals their passion for sport and the outdoors—a reflection of both a family lifestyle and an era.
Advertisement poster (1913) by Ville de Paris / Bibl. Forney.Musée Curie
Being in the great outdoors
From the late 19th century, thanks to increased leisure time and improved transportation, upper-class French people began to discover the benefits of vacations. Frédéric and Irène Joliot-Curie embraced this lifestyle, from seaside swims in l’Arcouest to skiing in Courchevel.
L'Arcouest
The Joliot-Curie family found renewal in the open air, notably in l’Arcouest, Brittany, where Marie Curie acquired a house in 1912. Several generations of intellectuals from their circle of friends and colleagues gathered there in a spirit of relaxation and conviviality.
A part of the intellectual community of L’Arcouest (1919) by Coll. privée famille Joliot.Musée Curie
A part of the intellectual community at L’Arcouest in 1919. Among those present are historian Charles Seignobos (top left), next to Ève and Irène Curie, followed by Aline and Francis Perrin, children of physicist Jean Perrin, Fernand Chavannes, an unidentified individual, and Charles Lapicque. In the foreground, from left to right: an unidentified person, Dr. Georges Gricouroff, Jean Maurain, and Marguerite Chavannes.
Irène Curie swimming the trudgen at Arcouest, in Brittany.
At Arcouest, in Brittany, Irène and then Frédéric Joliot-Curie take turns rowing the Marsouin.
Courchevel
In the 1930s, winter sports were still relatively uncommon. The Joliot-Curie family were among the first to acquire a chalet in Courchevel, even before any infrastructure for winter tourism had been developed.
Frédéric and Irène Joliot-Curie skiing in Megève (1928) by Coll. privée famille Joliot.Musée Curie
Two photographs show Frédéric and Irène Joliot-Curie skiing in Megève in February 1928.
Frédéric et Irène Joliot-Curie skient à Megève en compagnie de leur ami et collègue Pierre Biquard.
Excursion in Megève with the Joliot-Curie couple and their friends (1928) by Coll. privée famille Joliot.Musée Curie
Right photo: Frédéric and Irène Joliot-Curie, along with their friends Pierre Auger, Suzanne Auger, Ninette, Georges and Colette Gricouroff, and Colette Perrin, take a break during the same excursion.
"Being in the great outdoors" is the first part of a trilogy. Discover the second part, "Over the generations," as well as the third, "Exceeding one's limits."
Exhibition produced by © Musée Curie (UAR 6425 CNRS - Institut Curie)
Curator: Camilla Maiani
Scientific Committee: Renaud Huynh and Natalie Pigeard
Digital adaptation : Clarisse Chavanne and Valérie Frois
Acknowledgements:
For their collaboration in the creation of the exhibition: Catherine Biquard, Claire Biquard, Jean-Michel Biquard, Anne Joliot-Gricouroff, Pierre Joliot, Hélène Langevin-Joliot, and the entire Musée Curie team.
For providing iconographic materials: the Atelier des Archives, the Bibliothèque Forney, the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
For the reproduction of certain photographic archives: Sacha Lenormand.
This exhibition was created in partnership with the Cinémathèque de Bretagne, with the support of CNRS, the Institut Curie, and DRAC Île-de-France.
It is labeled as part of the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad.
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.