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Key figures

Origin and history

The Cambrai Museum, founded in 1847, finds its origins in the revolutionary seizures exposed in 1793 in the church of Saint-Géry. These works, which were dispersed in 1802, were gradually combined thanks to donations and deposits, including the Campana collection in 1863. The museum settled permanently in 1893 in the Hôtel de Francqueville, an 18th-century mansion bequeathed by industrialist Auguste Legrand.

The Hôtel de Francqueville, built between 1719 and 1720 for Jean-Baptiste de Francqueville, king's secretary advisor, illustrates the classical French architecture with its carved portal and brick and limestone facades. Requisitioned in 1816 by the English army to house the Duke of Wellington, it was restored at the end of the 19th century before welcoming the museum. Two modern wings were added in 1990 to expand its spaces.

The museum is structured around three departments: archaeology (with an osteo-archaeology section unique in France), local heritage (from the 12th to the 18th century), and fine arts (from the 16th to the 21st century). Its collections are enriched in the 20th century by major donations, such as those of André Le Bozec and Eva-Maria Fruhtrunk, making the museum a reference point for geometric abstraction.

Damaged during the First World War (1918), the museum lost more than 200 works and only reopened entirely in 1933. During the Second World War, its collections were evacuated and the museum gradually reopened between 1946 and 1947. A major restoration between 1989 and 1994 modernises its infrastructure, integrating contemporary architecture.

Among its treasures, the museum houses works by Auguste Rodin, Camille Claudel, Henri Matisse, and an exceptional collection of 1,500 pieces of geometric abstraction. He regularly organizes temporary exhibitions, such as Lines and colours (2020) or After Rodin (2025), and participates in national events such as Heritage Days.

The museum also preserves missing architectural elements, such as statues of the ancient cathedral of Cambrai or the procession tank of the canonesses of Sainte-Aldegonde (18th century). His collections of graphic arts, although not very exposed, include drawings, engravings and the background of architect Henri de Barralle, witness to Cambrai's urban history.

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