Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The L.A.C. (Lieu d'Art Contemporain) is a museum of private associative contemporary art created in 1991 in Sigean by Piet Moget, Dutch painter, and his daughter Layla. A result of the transformation of an old wine cellar, this place of 2,000 m2, spread over two levels, is located at the intersection of Bordeaux-Toulouse and Nîmes-Barcelona cultural axes. It hosts temporary exhibitions by international artists, with a variety of programming since its opening, including retrospectives and artist residences.

The L.A.C. began with major exhibitions, such as that of Geer van Velde in 1991, followed by artists such as Jacques Villon, Richard Long, or Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1993. The museum highlights a permanent collection from meetings of the Moget family, including works by Karel Appel, Dado, or Olivier Debré. These collections are often presented in addition to temporary exhibitions, usually upstairs.

Piet Moget, founder of the L.A.C., is a Dutch painter born in 1928. Trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague, he settled in Aude in 1952 after discovering the Narbon region. With his wife Mary Schallenberg, in 1960 he organized exhibitions under the name of Rencontres in their farmhouse, La Grange Basse, attracting artists like Geer van Velde or Claude Bouriane. This artistic network laid the foundation for the future L.A.C.

The museum offers an active educational service, with guided tours, practical workshops and programmes adapted to all audiences, from schools to pensioners. He collaborates with neighbouring municipalities on cultural projects, including theatrical and musical achievements. Summer and spring exhibitions are often open to the general public, while rarer events take place in autumn or winter.

Among the notable exhibitions are those of Roman Opalka in 1998, who invested all the space with a retrospective from 1951 to 1998, or that of Robert Morris in 1996, where the artist created eleven felt sculptures during a residence. The L.A.C. also welcomed conceptual artists such as Sol LeWitt, Anselm Kiefer, or Louise Lawler, reflecting the diversity of its programming.

The Moget family built a rich permanent collection, including works acquired from the emergence of major currents such as hyperrealism, minimalism or conceptual art. This collection, presented at the temporary exhibitions, bears witness to the artistic encounters of the Mogets since the 1960s. The L.A.C. remains a place for dialogue between contemporary art and local heritage, rooted in the cultural landscape of Occitanie.

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