Interest: Located in the heart of the city, the Cohue building, built from the beginning of the 13th century, was the place where the market (ground floor) was held and was doing justice (floor). Owned by the City since 1813, La Cohue experienced various assignments before the museum was installed there in 1982. Past the entrance gate, the central nave delivers its majestic spaces and invites you to discover the entire building where permanent collections and temporary exhibitions are deployed.
Return of Christ on the Cross 1865 (≈ 1865)
Tableau de Delacroix restored, catalyst of the museum project.
juillet 1886
Opening of the museum
Opening of the museum juillet 1886 (≈ 1886)
Two rooms at Vannes Town Hall.
1912
Moving the museum
Moving the museum 1912 (≈ 1912)
Leave the Town Hall for the convent.
années 1950
Procurement policy
Procurement policy années 1950 (≈ 1950)
Systematic enrichment of collections.
1982
Installation in La Cohue
Installation in La Cohue 1982 (≈ 1982)
Current site, former market and court.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Émile Burgault - Mayor of Vannes
Promoter of the museum under state leadership.
Eugène Delacroix - Romantic painter
*Christ on the Cross* (1865), flagship work.
Léon de Bellée - Academic Painter
In the forest the frost (1879), state deposit.
Origin and history
The Vannes Museum of Fine Arts began in July 1886 when two exhibition halls were inaugurated on the second floor of the Town Hall. This opening is the result of a long incentive from the Ministry of Public Instruction, which, since the 1860s, has encouraged Mayor Émile Burgault to create a museum institution. The return in 1865 of the painting Christ on the cross of Eugene Delacroix, after restoration, as well as the deposit in 1879 of In forest the frost of Leon of Bellée, reinforce this dynamic. A volunteer curator was appointed in 1885, marking the official beginning of the collections, enriched by government shipments and local acquisitions.
After leaving the Town Hall in 1912, the museum was transferred to several places: the Carmes convent, the Limur hotel, and then La Cohue from 1982 onwards. This medieval building, former market and court, becomes the permanent framework of collections. These consist of state shipments (XIX-20th centuries), donations, and systematic purchases from the 1950s. The museum particularly showcases a collection of 19th and 20th century prints, while preserving major works such as those of Delacroix.
La Cohue, built in the early 13th century, illustrates the urban history of Vannes: its ground floor housed the market, while the floor served as a court room. Acquired by the City in 1813, it knew various assignments before becoming a museum. Its architecture, with an imposing central nave, now offers a setting for permanent and temporary exhibitions, at the heart of the valve heritage.
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