2021 is the year of the bicentenary of the birth of professor and academician Henri de Lacaze-Duthiers, one of the most eminent zoologists of the 19th century. Author of more than 250 articles and books, he carried out remarkable work, in particular on the red coral and the purple.

Founder of the Roscoff biological station in 1872, Henri de Lacaze-Duthiers created the Arago Laboratory in 1881 in Banyuls-sur-Mer with his own resources, but also with the support of the city, which offered him a plot of land and an annual income of 500 francs. Lacaze-Duthiers considered that the Mediterranean climate was suitable for carrying out observations and work all year round. His attachment to the Arago laboratory was such that he wished to donate all his books and instruments to the station, and to rest beside it on the promontory of Le Fontaulé, facing the sea. He was convinced that this institute would welcome eminent French and foreign scientists for a very long time and that marine research would continue. In his testament, he donated the Arago Laboratory to the Sorbonne University.

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