Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The project to create the museum of Valencia emerged in 1830, in the context of the second wave of French museums, but its official foundation was only opened on 31 August 1850. As early as 1833, municipal collections were exhibited in the former Petit Séminaire, enriched in 1835 by a donation of drawings, including a hundred d'Hubert Robert, offered by Julien-Victor Veyrenc. The institution, heiress of the Enlightenment, is a universal space combining art, history and science, accessible to all.

In 1912, the collections moved to the former bishopric of Valencia, but a fire in 1969 damaged part of the museum. From 1983 an active acquisition and restoration policy was launched, marked by the recruitment of a Conservative. The 1990s saw the museum specialize in two areas: art (including landscape, from Hubert Robert to modern abstraction) and archaeology, with key pieces of prehistory and Drômois protohistory.

A major renovation and extension project began in 2000, entrusted in 2005 to the Jean-Paul Philippon workshop. After the transfer of the collections in 2007 and the works from 2009 to 2013, the museum reopens on 13 December 2013. Its collections, enriched by state deposits and targeted acquisitions (such as works by Corot or Delacroix), now cover national archaeology, fine arts, decorative arts and natural sciences, while highlighting local artists such as Félix Clément or André Lhote.

The museum now houses remarkable ensembles, such as the Hubert Robert collection (12 paintings and 4 drawings), exceptional Gallo-Roman mosaics (such as Orpheus charming animals), and iconic prehistoric objects, such as the Os checked from the Tai Cave. Its architectural heritage, including a medieval tower and painted ceilings of the 15th and 17th centuries, was preserved during the renovations, while its classified garden offers a view of the Rhône.

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