Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Maison Bleue, located in Dives-sur-Mer in Calvados, is a raw art creation created between 1957 and 1977 by Euclides Ferrera da Costa, a Portuguese mason who immigrated to France in 1924. This modest cabanon and its 300 m2 garden, located near the former Tréfimétals factory, have been transformed into an open-air mosaic, integrating recovery materials (glass, earthenware, mirrors) into cement. The work, dominated by blue, combines miniature buildings, religious and animal motifs, reflecting a naive and poetic universe.

The project was born in 1957 with a monument dedicated to the laika dog, dead in space, symbol of the shock felt by da Costa in the face of science. Some 15 elements follow, including mills, chapels (such as Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes or the Sacred Heart), and animal decors (cerfs, butterflies). The artist, illiterate and tuberculose, devotes 20 years, developing a unique know-how in play of light and colors, despite the lack of recognition of his living.

Acquired by the city in 1989 and classified as a historic monument in 1991, the Blue House illustrates the fragility of raw art. As early as 2005, a metal structure protected it from weather, and targeted restorations (such as the monument in Laika in 2011) were carried out through patrons and communities. In 2019, the site benefits from the Bern Mission for the Heritage Lotto, highlighting its cultural importance in Normandy.

The work, inspired by the Portuguese azulejos and the nostalgia of its native country, is distinguished by its entirely decorated exterior, unlike other houses of raw art (such as the Picplate). The religious statues, stolen, were replaced by photographs to preserve the visual effect. Despite its beauty and emotion, the Blue House remains threatened by time, requiring constant conservation.

Euclides da Costa, born in 1902 in Vilarinho (Portugal), emigrated to France at the age of 22 and settled in Dives-sur-Mer after a visit to Saint-Nazaire. Naturalized French in 1947, he lived modestly, without running water, and began his work in 1957 after a disability pension. He died in 1984, bitter for not being recognized, leaving a unique artistic heritage, a witness to popular art and marginal creativity.

External links