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Origin and history

The Museum of Fine Arts in Carcassonne was founded in 1836 by art, history and archaeology enthusiasts. Located in the former presidial of the city, he was enlarged in 1876 under the direction of architect Charles Émile Saulnier. Its façade, completed in 1900, was restored in 2015. The original collection was built with donations, including 102 paintings offered by the Société des arts et sciences de Carcassonne in 1845, as well as government deposits and private bequests.

The museum preserves major works by painters such as José de Ribera, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Gustave Courbet, and a collection dedicated to Jacques Gamelin, native of Carcassonne. It also houses decorative art objects, including faiences from Moustiers and Marseilles, music pendulums, and 18th-century civil goldsmith's pieces. Among his treasures are Napoleon I's long view used when he returned from Elba Island in 1815, as well as the dagger used for the assassination of General Kléber in 1800.

Closed between 1942 and 1948, the museum hosted from 1951 to 1961 a room dedicated to the surrealist works of the poet Joë Bousquet. Since 2009, it has been attached to the museum of the school of Carcassonne, located in the medieval city. The confinements of 2020-2021 allowed the creation of a new temporary exhibition space, Le Petit Salon, and the renovation of rooms dedicated to the 20th and 21st centuries.

The museum organizes temporary exhibitions, lectures on art history, and educational workshops for all school levels. He actively participates in national events such as Museum Night and European Heritage Days. In 2008, it ranked 77th out of 334 French museums in terms of attendance.

Its collections are divided into eleven thematic rooms, covering periods from the 16th to the 21st century. The museum receives regular donations, such as the Faëss donation planned in 2025, and collaborates with local associations, such as the Association of Friends of the City and the City and Friends of the Museum.

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