Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The David d'Angers Gallery is a museum located in the ancient Toussaint d'Angers Abbey, dating from the 12th century and restructured in 1984 to house the works of sculptor Pierre-Jean David d'Angers (1788-1856). This place, originally a refectory of the Museum of Fine Arts from 1839, was transformed into an independent gallery in 1983, inaugurated on 22 May 1984. The architect Pierre Prunet has designed a metal frame and glass panels to naturally illuminate the collections, while integrating local materials such as tuffle and slate. The museum is labeled Musée de France and preserves more than 985 works listed in 2016, mainly preparatory plasters, busts and medallions.

Pierre-Jean David d'Angers, a major figure in romanticism, donated three of his award-winning works to his hometown in 1811, before bequeathing more than 400 pieces in his lifetime. In 1903, her daughter, Mrs. Leferme, completed this collection with an additional donation. The works exhibited reflect his political and artistic commitment, with portraits of literary or revolutionary personalities. The gallery highlights monumental pieces, such as the models of the Paris Pantheon pediment, visible from a mezzanine dedicated to smaller works, drawings and medallions.

Since the 1980s, the gallery has organized temporary thematic exhibitions, such as those from 2014 to 2016 exploring its drawings for the Odeon, its links to phrenology, or its sculptural techniques. It also participates in national events (Night of Museums, Heritage Days) and offers night activities, such as the Magic Night in 2016. Administratively, it is part of the Art Gallery of Angers, with which it shares a common direction, successively provided by curators such as Viviane Huchard (1974-1992) and Anne Esnault (since 2016).

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