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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Reattu Museum occupies the former Grand Priory of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, founded in the 12th century in Arles. This site, redeveloped in the 17th and 18th centuries, became an artistic place thanks to the painter Jacques Réattu (1760–33), Grand Prix de Rome in 1790, who acquired it in 1796 to install his studio. Although his project of artist residence had never been successful, the city of Arles acquired it in 1868, transforming it into a municipal museum after the death of his daughter Elizabeth Grange, the last heiress.

The museum is distinguished by its eclectic collections: major works by Jacques Réattu (including drawings awarded in Rome), 57 drawings by Picasso offered in 1971, and a photographic collection initiated in 1965 by Jean-Maurice Rouquette and Lucien Clergue, the first of its kind in a French art museum. In 2007, he also launched a sound art fund, consolidating his reputation as an avant-garde institution. The building, classified as a historical monument since 1958, combines Renaissance architecture, interior courtyard and spaces dedicated to contemporary art.

The history of the museum is marked by successive redevelopments: partial transfer of collections to the former Archbishopric in 1879, return to the Grand-Priority in 1941, and subsequent major renovations between 1956 and 1964. In 2004, a Scientific and Cultural Project reaffirmed its identity around photography and contemporary art, while preserving its historical heritage. His treasures include a letter from Van Gogh to Gauguin (1889) and commissions to artists such as Christian Lacroix, who organized an exhibition in 2008 attracting 130,000 visitors.

The Grand Priory, the core of the museum, illustrates the influence of the Order of Malta in Provence. Founded in the 12th century near the Rhône, it was the seat of the provincial priory of the order, bringing together commanderies from Toulouse to Geneva. The site, embellished in the 17th and 18th centuries, preserves Renaissance and classical elements, including the commanderie of Saint-Pierre (15th century), acquired by Réattu in 1827 after 26 years of negotiations. This architectural heritage dialogues today with contemporary installations, such as the Listening Room dedicated to sound art.

The permanent collections include paintings by Antoine Raspal (Course workshop in Arles), self-portraits by Simon Vouet or Guillaume de Barrême, and works by Baya or Miguel Devèze. The museum also has a rare handwritten fonds, such as Van Gogh's letter evoking its Tournesols (1888), today at the National Gallery in London. Since the 1980s, he has commissioned works from sculptors, photographers and sound artists, strengthening his anchor in the current creation.

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