Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Baron-Martin Museum is the museum of art and history of Gray, in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, installed since 1903 in the old castle of the city. This castle, of medieval origin (11th century), was remodeled in the 18th century by Louis Fabry de Montcault, then occupied by Louis Stanislas, future Louis XVIII. After the Revolution, he became a national good before being acquired by François Martin for his son, Alexandre Martin, in 1796. The museum, created in the middle of the 19th century in the town hall, settled permanently in 1903, thanks to the purchase of the castle by the city in 1901.

The castle houses a variety of collections, ranging from antiquity to contemporary times, with major works such as The Lady of Tissot's Umbrella or the pastels of Prud These pastels, legit by Edmond Pigalle (grandson of Baron Martin) in 1921, mark a preromantic turning point in the artist's work. The museum is also enriched by donations such as those of the Delafontaine family (1932) or Albert Pomme de Mirimonde, whose collection was exhibited at the Louvre.

The building, damaged in 1940, was restored and enlarged, notably in 1913 with the layout of the attic, then in 1974 with the rehabilitation of the basements to install an archaeological space. The vaulted cellars, classified as historical monuments, house local remains, such as a sarcophagus of the Creux du Lare villa. The museum, labeled Musée de France, preserves the atmosphere of an 18th century residence, between ancient woodwork and English park.

Three childhood friends, Edmond Pigalle, Jules Maciet and Georges Bihourd, played a key role in enriching the collections, offering works by Tissot, Aman-Jean or Besnard. Their gifts reflect the spirit of the Belle Époque, with scenes of theatres, cafes and card games. The museum, energized by temporary exhibitions, remains a place of memory where local history, neoclassical art and modernity intersect.

The castle, a former royal property linked to Louis XIV and Queen Jeanne of France, dominates the Saône and sits in a park surrounded by ramparts. Its architecture, combining medieval remains and 18th-century decorations, makes it an emblematic site of the Haute-Saône, between architectural heritage and exceptional artistic collections.

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