Until January 18, 2026, the Musée d’Histoire de Marseille presents Pétanque!
Pétanque, a quintessentially Marseille popular game, is the subject of a unique exhibition. Combining local culture, social history, and collective memory, the exhibition explores the roots and practices of this sport through photographs by Hans Silvester, heritage objects, and a five-part scenographic tour. A lively and sensitive tribute to a uniquely Marseille way of life, now universal.
Pétanque, a popular sporting activity, is embraced by the people of Marseille as a strong element of their identity.
Marseille is said to be its capital, with the presence of the Fédération nationale de boules et de pétanque, the Marseille company La Boule Bleue, and an international competition: the Mondial La Marseillaise à pétanque. A symbol of a neighborhood paradise of conviviality, pétanque is a true vector of urban sociability that permeates the city. After a family meal, during an aperitif with friends on the beach, between colleagues after work, or during competitions organized by neighborhood bars on sunny days, it is everywhere.
The exhibition focuses on Marseille-based works by photographer Hans Silvester (born in 1938 in Lörrach, southern Germany), a photojournalist and member of the Rapho agency, known for its humanist editorial line. Between 1960 and 1970, he built up a remarkable body of photographs devoted to the Provençal game and pétanque.
Pétanque!
Until January 18, 2026
Free exhibition presented in sequence 13 of the Marseille History Museum
Musée d’Histoire de Marseille
2, rue Henri-Barbusse
13001 Marseille
Permanent collections open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
https://musees.marseille.fr/musee-dhistoire-de-marseille-mhm
