Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The original fonds of the Granet Museum were set up in 1771 by the Duke of Villars to serve as educational support at the Aix-en-Provence Academy of Painting. The first collections, mainly composed of antiques, were exhibited in the deliberative hall of the municipal council. This heritage is gradually enriched by partial acquisitions, such as that of the Fauris collection of Saint Vincent, and donations, leading the municipality to transfer the works to the priory of Malta in 1838, the date of its inauguration as a museum.

The museum owes an important part of its reputation to the bequests and subsequent donations, notably those of Granet, Bourguignon de Fabregoules, Gueidan, d'Aubergue, Rostan and Dol. A major milestone was reached in 2007 with the completion of the renovation and opening of the second part of the permanent collections. The 2000s marked a turning point towards modern art, thanks to the deposit of the Philippe Meyer (2000) collection and the Jean and Suzanne Planque (2010) collection, thus filling a historical gap in the museum's holdings.

The building that houses the museum, the former Priory of Hospitallers of Saint-Jean-de-Malte, is itself classified as a Historical Monument. Today, the Granet Museum presents nearly 600 works – paintings, sculptures and archaeological pieces – covering French, Flemish, Italian and Provencal schools, as well as a gallery dedicated to major artists such as Cézanne or Giacometti via the Meyer donation.

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