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Key figures

Origin and history

Bargoin Museum is a heritage museum located in Clermont-Ferrand, at the intersection of Ballainvilliers Street and Lafayette Boulevard. It was founded thanks to the legacy of Jean-Baptiste Bargoin, a Clermontian industrialist who, in 1885, offered part of his fortune to the city to create this museum. The building, designed by architect Joseph Dionnet, was inaugurated in 1903 and combines artistic elements such as marble bas-reliefs and wrought iron grilles.

Originally, the museum was intended for fine arts, but gradually specialized in local archaeology and textile arts. Archaeological collections cover Prehistory, Antiquity and the Middle Ages, with pieces from excavations in Puy-de-Dôme. Notable objects include Gallo-Roman remains, such as a monumental bronze foot discovered in 2006, and wooden ex-votos from the Rocks spring at Chamalières, dating from 30 BC to 100 BC.

The upper floors are dedicated to textile arts, with extra-European pieces ranging from the 18th to the 21st century. Since 2012, the museum has been collaborating with the International Festival of Extraordinary Textiles (FITE) for biannual exhibitions. Long run by the city, it now depends on Clermont Auvergne Métropole. In 2016, an ephemeral work of graffiti decorated its facades during the exhibition "Rebels".

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