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Key figures

Origin and history

The Blois Museum of Fine Arts has been housed since 1869 in the Louis XII wing of the city castle, an emblematic Renaissance building. Created in 1850, it presents various collections: paintings, sculptures and decorative arts, including French and Flemish tapestries from the 16th and 17th centuries. The layout of the rooms, served by a central corridor, breaks with the medieval arrangement in a thread, offering a more fluid visit. The chimneys, inspired by the book of Anne de Bretagne, were made by Louis Delcros for the Count of Chambord.

The portrait cabinet brings together effigies from the 16th and 17th centuries, coming from the castles of Saint-Germain-Beaupré and Beauregard, such as those of Marie de Medici (after Rubens) or Anne of Austria. A room also preserves fifty terracotta medallions by Jean-Baptiste Nini, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. The works exhibited cover the Renaissance in the 19th century, with major pieces by Ingres, Boucher, Chassériau or Gérard, illustrating the evolution of artistic styles.

In 1922, the museum inaugurated the Renouard Halls, dedicated to the cartoonist Paul Renouard, whose work on the First World War (1914-1917) was enriched by donations and acquisitions until 1971. Today there are seven paintings and about 550 drawings and engravings. The museum thus combines historical heritage with modern creations, while highlighting the artistic heritage of the Niger.

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