Bronze statue, representing Fernandel and Bourvil

  • Historic site and monument
  • Historic patrimony
  • Sculpture
  • Town of Art & History
  • 21st C
Quai Aristide Briand, L'île, 13500 Martigues
Did you know that the cult film "La cuisine au beurre" was filmed in Martigues? You can observe an emblematic scene from the film thanks to this set of bronze statues representing the actors Bourvil and Fernandel.
The scene shows Fernandel sitting in a restaurant with a glass in his hand and a bottle on the table. Opposite him, Bourvil is standing. He is wearing an apron and a chef's hat. The two men, facing each other, say their lines.

We can then imagine the inevitable reply of this scene:
"- And his bouillabaisse, do you know what his bouillabaisse was?
- It was boxes.
- Boxes? His bouillabaisse? Do you mean canned food? Be careful, sir, what you say, you are insulting him!"

Around the table, three empty chairs are just waiting for you! Indeed, the sculptor Sébastien Langloÿs has left three chairs available for tourists and locals to sit on (photo opportunity required!).

With over 6.3 million viewers, La cuisine au beurre is one of the biggest box office hits in French cinema. But this film by Gilles Grangier, with Fernandel and Bourvil, represents above all a part of the city's history, because it was filmed "in" Martigues, in 1963.

In the background, the Maison en chapeau de gendarme, this 17th century building, marked by its scalloped gable and its wrought iron balcony, serves as a restaurant in the film.
The same place where the emblematic scene that Sébastien Langloÿs reproduced takes place, the first chance meeting of Christiane's two husbands.

Ten years after the sculpture of the fisherman and the rower installed in Ferrières, the city of Martigues asked the Toulouse sculptor Sébastien Langloÿs to create this second work.

Services

Services

Car park
Animals accepted

Accessibility

Accessibility

Reception staff sensitized to the reception of people with disabilities

Rates

Rates

Free access.

Location

Location

Bronze statue, representing Fernandel and Bourvil
Quai Aristide Briand, L'île, 13500 Martigues

Environment

Environment
  • On an island
  • Close to GR footpath
  • Close to pleasure port
  • Waterside
  • Town location
  • Pier within 500 m
  • In the historic centre
  • In centre of town
  • Pedestrian area
  • Close to a public transportation
  • Bus stop < 500 m
Updated on 25 September 2025 at 11:04
by Office de Tourisme et des Loisirs de Martigues
(Offer identifier : 5538030)
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