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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée du Petit Palais in Avignon occupies a 14th century historical building, formerly the residence of the archbishops of Avignon, built during the period of the papacy of Avignon. This place, named in opposition to the neighbouring Popes' Palace, was transformed into a museum in 1976 to house a unique collection of medieval paintings and sculptures and the first Renaissance, with a particular emphasis on the primitive Italians and the works of the school of Avignon.

The museum's collections come mainly from two sources: the Louvre Museum and other French museums, largely from the Campana collection, acquired by the State in 1861, and the works of the Calvet Museum in Avignon. The Campana collection, one of the most important ancient Italian paintings, provided more than 300 of the 326 primitive Italians exhibited. The Calvet Museum brought works from the school of Avignon, dating from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, including some 60 paintings and 600 sculptures.

The Petit Palais presents major works of Italian painting from the 13th to the 16th centuries, with renowned artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Vittore Carpaccio, Carlo Crivelli, and Sano di Pietro. The sculptures exhibited, notably those of Antoine Le Moiturier and Jean de la Huerta, illustrate the Avignon funerary art of the 14th and 15th centuries. The museum also showcases frescoes, retables and sculptures from Avignon's churches and convents, often demolished or damaged during the French Revolution.

The museum rooms are organized in a thematic and chronological way, covering various artistic periods and schools, such as the Sienese, Florentine, Venetian and Avignonese school. Among the remarkable pieces are works by Botticelli, such as The Virgin and the Child, as well as funeral sculptures, such as the transi of Cardinal Jean de Lagrange, dating from the beginning of the 15th century. These works bear witness to the artistic and historical richness of Avignon, marked by the presence of popes and cardinals.

The museum has been housed in a building classified as a Historic Monument since 1910, with architectural elements of the 14th and 15th centuries, such as refectories, chapel and facades. The western garden, containing remains of the medieval urban ilot, was also classified in 1992. The Petit Palais is today a museum of France, managed by the commune of Avignon, and is an essential place to understand medieval art and reborn in Provence.

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