Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Despiau-Wlérick Museum in Mont-de-Marsan is a municipal art museum specializing in 20th-century figurative sculpture. Inaugurated on July 21, 1968 in the Lacataye dungeon, he is the only one in France entirely dedicated to this discipline. His collections, gathered in the 1950s by the families and students of the sculptors Charles Despiau (1874-1946) and Robert Wlérick (1882-1944), included about 1,000 works, including bas-reliefs for the Palais de Chaillot and the ship Normandy.

The museum originated from the initiative of the Association of Friends of Charles Despiau and Robert Wlérick, created in the 1950s. The works, first exhibited at the Dubalen Museum (at the Town Hall), were transferred in 1963 to the Lacataye dungeon, restored for the occasion. The inauguration in 1968 marks the birth of a unique place, complemented by a garden of sculptures. In the 1980s-1990s, the museum refines its specialization on the inter-war period, saving from forgetting the major works of this period.

Located on the left bank of the Midou, near the church of Madeleine, the museum occupies a medieval dungeon integrated with the old walls of Mont-de-Marsan. Its entrance is through a Romanesque chapel on Marguerite Square in Navarre. Currently closed for renovation (until 2028), it is preparing a reopening with a new entrance and external works planned until 2029. A temporary exhibition, Robert Wlérick in search of the model, was presented until December 2025.

Permanent collections, inaccessible during the works, include monumental works such as Henri Lagriffoul's reliefs for the 1937 Universal Exhibition or projects for the 1931 Colonial Exhibition. The museum also preserves pieces by André Greck and Portuguese sculptor Charles Correia. Its garden exhibits outdoor sculptures, extending the visit in a historical setting.

Based on the legacy of Pierre Eudoxe Dubalen (creator of the Dubalen Museum in 1855), the Despiau-Wlérick also owes its existence to local figures such as Raymond Farbos, industrialist and president of the Association of Friends, and Charles Lamarque-Cando, mayor of Mont-de-Marsan. These actors allowed the transformation of the Lacataye dungeon into a space dedicated to modern art, between heritage memory and museum innovation.

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