Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Soulages Museum is a project born from the initiative of Marc Censi, mayor of Rodez from 1983 to 2008, with the agreement of Pierre Soulages, deeply attached to the region, especially to the Abbey of Conques which inspired its artistic vocation. The artist made the stained glass windows there between 1987 and 1994, and the proposal to exhibit the models preparatory to the museum. Despite initial controversy over the financing and usefulness of a third museum in an agglomeration of 52,000 inhabitants, the project obtained the label "Musée de France" as early as 2005, even before the beginning of the works.

The museum was designed by the Catalan agency RCR Arquitectes, winner of an international competition, in collaboration with Passelac & Roques Arquitectes. Located on the plateau of the Foirail, close to the historic centre and the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Rodez, the building is distinguished by five volumes of Corten steel emerging from a long base, incorporating panoramic views of the landscapes of the Aubrac. This architectural choice, awarded by the Pritzker Prize in 2017, reflects a desire for dialogue between modernity and heritage, while offering spaces dedicated to temporary exhibitions of contemporary art.

The inauguration took place on 30 May 2014 in the presence of President François Hollande and Pierre Soulages. The museum is based on four major donations by the artist (2005, 2012, 2020, 2023), totalling more than 500 works, including paintings, prints, bronzes and preparatory documents for the stained glass windows of Conques. These donations, estimated at several million euros, make the museum the only one in the world to present the entire painted work of Soulages, from the first figurative canvases (1934) to its latest creations. The museum crossed the course of the million visitors in 2021, confirming its cultural and tourist influence.

The project, costing EUR 25 million, was financed by the Grand Rodez Agglomeration Community, the State, the Occitanie Region and the Aveyron Department. As soon as it was opened, the annual operating budget was estimated at €1.2 million per 100,000 visitors, a far exceeded target (136,000 visitors in 2019). The museum is part of an expanded cultural centre on the Foirail plateau, including a festive hall, a film complex and sports facilities, strengthening Rodez' attractiveness.

The architecture of the museum, conceived as "a museum in a garden", takes advantage of its location on a slope to offer perspectives on the surrounding landscape, reinterpreting the traditional windows ( panoramic squares) of Rodez. The five rusted steel volumes, combined with raw materials such as concrete and glass, create a contrast with the medieval historic centre. In 2015, RCR Arquitectes received the award for international Spanish architecture for this project, and then the Pritzker Prize in 2017, dedicating its poetic and contextual approach.

The museum's initial fund comes from the 2005 donation, including 250 works (paintings, prints, bronzes, preparatory documents for Conques) and a rare documentary fund. Subsequent donations, such as that of 2020 with a 2019 funnel and works of the 1940-50s, or that of 2023 (seven canvases including four polyptych), enriched the collection. In 2020, galerist Karsten Greve also offered a major polyptych in 1997. These contributions make the museum a reference centre for the study of the work of Soulages, supplemented by temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art.

Collection

Le point de départ de la création de ce musée est la donation (2005 et 2012) la plus importante octroyée en France par un artiste vivant. Elle comprend :
- des oeuvres de jeunesse de Pierre Soulages
- 21 huiles sur toile
- 100 peintures sur papier
- la totalité de l'oeuvre imprimé qui représente 49 eaux-fortes, 41 lithographies et 26 sérigraphies.
- trois bronzes
- deux peintures incluses dans le verre
- la totalité des travaux préparatoires aux vitraux de Conques de 1987 à 1994.
- un important fonds documentaire rassemblé par Pierre Soulages : ouvrages, catalogues, films, archives et correspondances.

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