Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Museum of Fine Arts in Morlaix, also known as the Jacobin Museum, occupies the former Dominican convent (or Jacobin), founded in 1235 in Morlaix after episcopal permission in 1237. This convent, confiscated during the French Revolution, became a museum in 1887 under the leadership of Edmond-Gabriel Puyo, the first curator and former mayor of the city. The building, dated the 13th century, therefore houses various collections, from ancient painting to local goldsmith's.

Among the flagship works are major paintings such as Venus and Adonis by Giovanni Francesco Romanelli, The Martyr of Saint Barthélémy by Sébastien Bourdon, and Rain at Belle-Île by Claude Monet. The museum is also enriched with important bequests, such as that of Louis-Marie Baader (70 works in 1920) or the acquisition in 1927 of 19 paintings by John Peter Russell, an Australian painter who lived in Brittany. A public subscription in 2011 also allows us to acquire a 16th century chalice of Morlaisian goldsmith Guillaume Floch.

The museum also manages the house in Pondalez, classified as Historic Monuments, and preserves decors by Maurice Denis as well as works by Louis Le Gros, local painter deported during the Second World War. Closed in May 2019 for extension work to triple its exposure area, its reopening is planned for 2023. These renovations aim to modernize the space while valuing its artistic and historical heritage.

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