Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Roger-Quilliot Museum of Art (MARQ) occupies part of the buildings of a former Ursuline convent, built in the 17th century in Clermont-Ferrand, in the Montferrand district. This convent, classified as a historic monument, initially housed a court of aid (established in 1557), and was then transformed into a school for girls by the Ursulines from 1638. The nuns carried out several work campaigns there during the 17th and 18th centuries, adapting the premises to their educational mission. After the Revolution, the buildings served successively as barracks, major seminary (1807-1905), military hospital during the First World War, and finally as gendarmerie until 1982.

The museum was inaugurated in 1992 as the Museum of Fine Arts, before being renamed in 1999 as a tribute to Roger Quilliot, former mayor of Clermont-Ferrand (1973-1997) and minister. Its renovation was entrusted to architects Adrien Fassilber and Claude Gaillard, who designed a central atrium covered with a glass roof signed Peter Rice, organizing the 6,000 m2 of exhibition around three levels. The MARK presents nearly 2,000 works, ranging from auvergnat Romanesque art (chapiteaux, Virgins in majesty) to major pieces of the 19th and 20th centuries, including donations from local collectors such as Simone and Maurice Combe.

The permanent collections are chronologically articulated: the ground floor houses medieval and reborn art (sculptures, paintings like The Passion of Christ by Cornelis Engebrechtsz), while the first floor exhibits regional works (feathers, landscapes) and European painters (Philippe de Champaigne, Joseph Vernet). The second floor is dedicated to the 19th century, with references to Gaulish history (Vercingétorix de Bartholdi or Chassériau) and paintings by Claudel or Doré. The basement, on the other hand, houses contemporary art, enriched by bequests (Marie Laurencin, Buffet, Kisling).

The building, which was listed as a historical monument in 1986, retains traces of its judicial and religious past. The monumental 17th century gate, a vestige of the aid court, is next to modern amenities. Atrium, the heart of the museum, symbolizes this fusion between heritage and modernity, while facilitating the circulation between thematic spaces. Temporary exhibitions and a documentation centre on the top floor complete the cultural offer.

MARQ draws its origins from the municipal collections previously dispersed between the Bargoin Museum and the Ranquet Museum. Among his flagship pieces are the cycle of the furious Roland (castle of Effiat), the Romanesque Virgins like that of Vernols, or ancient sculptures (Pallas-Athena by Léonard Sarson). Its local anchor is doubled by a European opening, with Flemish, Italian and French works, reflecting artistic evolution over eight centuries.

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