Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The departmental museum of contemporary art of Rochechouart has been established since 1985 in the medieval castle of the city, managed by the departmental council of Haute-Vienne. This place, recognized as a museum of France, is distinguished by its dialogue between contemporary art and historical architecture, with varied museum spaces, ranging from white-cube to vaulted 15th century rooms. Its walls preserve 16th century frescoes depicting mythological and cynegetic scenes.

The museum's collection, which began in 1981, has more than 250 works, including major works by the Arte Povera, Land Art, and an exceptional fund dedicated to Raoul Hausmann, a figure in the Dada movement. This collection brings together 180 works (collages, paintings, drawings), 254 felts, as well as archives (6,000 letters, 1,600 negatives) and sound recordings. An acquisition in 2002 enriched this heritage with 256 additional works and 750 printed documents.

The museum is made up of commissions placed by international artists such as Giuseppe Pennone or Richard Long, and special temporary exhibitions such as Le Grenier du Château d'Annette Messenger and Christian Boltanski (1990) or the luminous installations of Anthony McCall (2007). A renovation project carried out in the late 1990s by Jean-François Bodin modernised its 1,500 m2 of space, while preserving its historic character. In 2021 he obtained a star at the Michelin Green Guide.

His cultural project, anchored in a rural territory, relies on active mediation with the public, with recurring themes such as landscape, history or imagination. The museum offers annual monographic or collective exhibitions, often accompanied by in situ creations. Its outreach is also based on its contemporary photographic collection and its commitment to making modern art accessible in a heritage setting.

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