Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Centre d'art contemporain (CAC) de Meymac is located in a wing of Saint-André Abbey, a former Benedictine abbey located in the commune of Meymac, in Corrèze. Founded in 1979 by Caroline Bissière and Jean-Paul Blanchet, two enthusiasts of contemporary art, it aims to promote visual and visual arts. Its main objective is the diffusion of contemporary creation, without permanent collection.

In 1992, the CAC initiated the installation of a monumental sculpture by Robert Jacobsen on the esplanade surrounding the abbey, marking its anchor in the local cultural landscape. The centre is part of regional networks, such as ASTRE (Plastic and Visual Arts in New Aquitaine), and offers artists' residences as well as an educational service. Its funding was associated with a controversy related to Georges Pérol, Mayor of Meymac (1977-1995) and former leader of the OPAC in Paris, suspected of directing donations to the CAC.

The CAC organizes three annual exhibitions: one in the spring (Spring of Haute-Corrèze), a large monographic or thematic summer exhibition, and a collective fall exhibition, Première, dedicated to young graduates of the art schools of Bourges, Limoges and Clermont-Ferrand. Since 2005, it also proposes a Monumental Advent Calendar on its façade, designed annually by a different artist and financed by subscription.

In 2022, the centre was awarded the CACIN label (Centre d'art contemporain d'intégration nationale), recognizing its key role in disseminating contemporary art in the region. It shares its site with the Marius-Vazeilles Museum of Archaeology, strengthening its cultural attractiveness in a preserved historical setting.

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