Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Guethary Museum was created in the 1950s on the ground floor of Villa Saraleguinea, a early 20th century neo-Basque house. It was designed to house the donation of Polish sculptor Georges Clément de Swiecinski, who lived and worked in the region. The villa, acquired by the municipality in 1953, is a sumptuous neo-labourdin style residence built by architect François-Joseph Cazalis, offering views of the ocean from its terraces.

The museum's collections include sculptures, bronzes, medals and ceramics by Swiecinski, as well as works related to the poet Paul-Jean Toulet, whose tomb was made by the sculptor. A Roman fonds, resulting from the discovery in 1984 of a tuna salison factory (to produce garum), and a prehistoric background complete the exhibitions. The villa, surrounded by a park decorated with sculptures, is classified as Historical Monument and labeled Museum of France.

The museum highlights various themes: fine arts (painting, sculpture, prints), local history, paper archives and books of bibliophilia. Villa Saraleguinea, the heart of the museum, illustrates the Basque seaside architecture of the early 20th century, while providing an artistic and historical heritage linked to major figures such as Swiecinski and Toulet. Its park and terraces make it an emblematic place of Guethary, between sea and culture.

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