Municipal legislation 14 janvier 1970 (≈ 1970)
Transfer of private collections to Villiers-Saint-Benoît.
mars 1975
Re-opening after enlargement
Re-opening after enlargement mars 1975 (≈ 1975)
Inauguration of the renovated municipal museum.
juin 2007
Re-opening after renovation
Re-opening after renovation juin 2007 (≈ 2007)
New extended post-closure inauguration.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Georges Moreau - Founder of collections
Creator of the "city foyer", core of the museum.
Paul Huillard - Enricher of collections
Gendre de Moreau, specialized in ceramics.
Origin and history
The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Puisaye finds its origins in the private collections gathered by Georges Moreau under the name of "City Foyer". This first museum, open to the public, was enriched by his son-in-law, Paul Huillard, especially with ceramics. These collections, left to the commune on 14 January 1970, allowed the creation of a municipal museum.
With the help of the State and the General Council of Yonne, the museum was enlarged and reorganized and inaugurated in March 1975. After a long period of closure, it reopened in June 2007 after expansion and renovation. Its collections cover various fields: national archaeology, decorative arts (ceramics, furniture), fine arts (painting, sculpture), and local history.
The museum houses remarkable pieces such as blue sandstones and earthenware from Puisaye (17th century), contemporary ceramics, as well as an scholarly cabinet exhibiting an early 20th century cinema projector. It benefits from the label "Musée de France" and is located on Rue Paul-Huillard in Villiers-Saint-Benoît, in the department of Yonne.
