Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Georges de La Tour departmental museum was inaugurated in 2003 in Vic-sur-Seille, Moselle, home to Baroque painter Georges de La Tour. Its opening results from an initiative by the Moselle department, launched in 1996 to exhibit a major work by the painter, Saint John the Baptist in the desert, discovered in 1993 and declared national treasure. This table, which was pre-empted by the State in 1994 on behalf of the Moselle, prompted the creation of a dedicated space, originally planned in the Mint Hotel, before a donation of 82 paintings (1998) and an ambitious acquisition policy made this project insufficient.

The museum was finally built on Jeanne d'Arc Square, at the location of an 18th-century townhouse, whose facade was preserved and enhanced with a level. Designed by the architectural firm Brossy, it is organized around five exhibition trays, evoking the spirit of a collector's cabinet. The ground floor accommodates services and a temporary room, while the upper floors present pictorial collections in chronological order, from the 17th to the beginning of the 20th century. The basement is dedicated to local archaeology, in connection with the history of Vic-sur-Seille, former capital of the bishops of Metz.

The museum's collections are structured around two major works by Georges de La Tour: Saint Jean-Baptiste in the desert (1993) and Profil de femme (acquisé in 2004). The museum route highlights painters like Le Brun, Corot or Delaroche, while tracing the legacy of the dark light dear to La Tour. The museum, labeled Musée de France, is part of Moselle's Great Sites network and offers temporary exhibitions, such as those dedicated to Émile Gallé (2009) or Japanese ceramics (2010-2011).

However, the museum's history dates back to 1908, with the creation of a first municipal museum in Vic-sur-Seille, inaugurated in 1910 by Emperor William II. Damaged during the two world wars, it was rethought at the turn of the 2000s to become a reference place on Georges de La Tour and local history, mixing artistic and archaeological heritage. The current building, combining slates and contemporary volumes, harmoniously integrates into the urban fabric of Vic-sur-Seille, near the Church of the Carmelites.

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