Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Museum of Fine Arts of Agen finds its origins in the Academic Society of Agen, founded in 1776, which created its own museum in 1836. In 1863, the company proposed to the city to give him his collections, which were too expensive to maintain, provided that he retained a right of control over the Conservative's appointment. The municipal museum was officially founded in 1876 and settled in four Renaissance mansions, built between the late 15th and early 16th centuries on the ancient route of the walls of Agen. These buildings, open on internal courtyards, now house a museum trail evoking the interior of a rich collector.

The collections, rich in 3,000 objects and works, cover a wide artistic panorama, from prehistory to the twentieth century. The museum is distinguished by its Gallo-Roman antiques (such as the Venus of the Mas of Agenais), its medieval sculptures, and especially its exceptional collection of Spanish paintings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, including five paintings by Francisco Goya bequeathed by the Count of Chaudordy. The French works, especially those from the Dukes of Aiguillon's collection (revolutionary seizes of 1792), complete this ensemble, with pieces by Corot, Sisley, or even royal portraits of the eighteenth century.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the museum was enriched by major legacies (Chaudordy, Dukes of Aiguillon) and an active policy of state acquisitions and deposits. Modern funds include works by Bissière, Lalannes, or Impressionists like Jongkind and Boudin. The museum temporarily closed in 2012-2013 for standards-setting work, confirming its status as a reference among French municipal museums. Its thematic organization, spread over 28 rooms, highlights local archaeology, decorative arts, and fine arts, while re-establishing spaces such as the former pharmacy of St. James's Hospital.

The four private hotels that house the museum, including the Hotel de Monluc (late 15th century), illustrate the Renaissance civil architecture of the region. Their layout around inner courtyards, typical of the aristocratic agenist houses, offers a prestigious setting to the collections. The museum, labeled Musée de France, remains a major witness to the local patronage and cultural exchanges between France and Spain, thanks in particular to the Chaudordy legacy, ambassador to Spain in the 19th century.

Highlights include Flemish still lifes (Teniers, Van der Poel), French royal portraits (Van Loo, Nattier), and landscapes of Barbizon or Crozant school. The museum also preserves archives, photographs, and naturalist collections (geology, ornithology), reflecting the diversity of interests of Agenese scholars since the 19th century.

External links