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    Fine arts

    Painting, sculpture, visual arts and photography are all featured prominently in Midi-Pyrénées, in some stunning venues. Because we have as many museums as there are gold coins in a treasure chest, here we only have room for a selection of some of the major museums such as the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec and Les Abattoirs centre for modern and contemporary art in Toulouse. 


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    In Toulouse, the 19th century former abattoirs designed by Urbain Vitry on the left bank of the River Garonne are now home to works from all the major post-war art movements around the world. Les Abattoirs is a very dynamic venue for the arts where you will find a host of contemporary artists from the art scene at regional and national level and also from other countries such as Italy and Spain. If you still want more, you can also enjoy the contemporary photographic art...


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    Fondation Bemberg, Hôtel d'Azessat - Toulouse (Haute-Garonne)Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, Palais de la Berbie - Albi (Tarn)Musée Toulouse-Lautrec - Albi (Tarn)Musée Goya - Castres (Tarn)L'Autoportrait aux lunettes - Musée Goya - Castres (Tarn)Musée Soulages - Rodez (Aveyron)Pierre SoulagesMusée Ingres - Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne)Madame Gonze - Musée Ingres - Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne)Musée Henri Martin - Cahors (Lot)Musée des Augustins - Toulouse (Haute-Garonne)Musée des Augustins - Toulouse (Haute-Garonne)

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      on offer at the prestigious Château d’Eau gallery just a stone's throw away.

      Toulouse is also the home of the magnificent 16th century Hôtel d’Assézat, arranged around a courtyard, where you will find the Fondation Bemberg, established by a major collector and comprising, among other works, a unique collection of paintings by Bonnard, Pissarro, Veronese, Matisse, Vlaminck et al.

      See the great masters

      Another great master awaits you in Albi in the Palais de la Berbie : Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The Musée Toulouse-Lautrec attracts visitors from all over the world and is the only museum in the world dedicated to the artist, who was born in Albi in 1864. Exploring the fully renovated museum with its clear and elegant layout, is an exciting experience that gives visitors an insight into the world of the man of Montmartre who created the 'modern poster'. 

      Staying in Tarn, you mustn't miss the Musée Goya in Castres. Housed in the town's 17th century former bishop's palace, it contains a remarkable collection of Hispanic art, ranked just after the Louvre's collection in terms of its rigorous quality.

      Visiting the Musée Ingres in Montauban is also a wonderful experience. Occupying the city's episcopal palace, it contains all of the works and the outstanding graphics collection that Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867), director of the Villa Medici and one of the greatest painters of the 19th century, bequeathed to his birthplace.

      Another artist, Henri Martin, was born in Toulouse but set up his artist's studio in the Lot Valley. He is honoured daily in Cahors in the Musée Henri Martin, which contains the work of this neo-impressionist painter who is today extremely popular in Japan.

      Sculpture is another art form close to our hearts in Midi-Pyrénées. Museums of sculpture that are unmissable because they hold major works by great European artists are the Musée des Augustins in Toulouse (classical sculpture), the Musée Denys Puech in Rodez, and not forgetting the Musée Zadkine (contemporary sculpture) in Les Arques near Cahors.

      See also

      • The website of the association 'Conservateurs des Musées de Midi-Pyrénées : www.musees-midi-pyrenees.fr.Here you'll find a calendar of museum events and information by topic and by artist for the collections, works and exhibitions open to the public..

      Major event : the Musée Pierre Soulages in Rodez

      • The Musée Pierre Soulages in Rodez is unique worldwide. The world-famous abstract artist Pierre Soulages was born in Rodez in 1919.

        The museum provides a home for nearly 100 of his paintings on paper, a selection of his paintings on canvas, the preparatory works for his stained-glass windows for Conques Abbey and his entire output of printed works (etchings, lithographs and screen prints), plus many other treasures that the artist has gifted to his birthplace. A vast space is given over to temporary exhibitions featuring other artists, in accordance with Pierre Soulages wishes.

        The museum was designed by the Catalan architects Aranda, Pigem and Vilalta.

         Set in grounds of 3 hectares, it is also home to Café Bras, the brasserie run by Michelin-starred chefs Michel and Sébastien Bras which serves up their contemporary take on dishes that are very much a part of the identity of Aveyron. For a quick lunch, diners can eat in the bar area, or in the restaurant if they want to take their time.

        www.musee-soulages.grand-rodez.com

      Cézanne, Picasso, Renoir et al. at Flaran Abbey

      • Since 2004, Flaran Abbey in Gers has been home to the outstanding collection belonging to Michael Simonow: more than 300 paintings by Braque, Cézanne, Chagall, Courbet, Delacroix, Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Rodin, Rubens, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cocteau and other great masters of European painting from the 16th to the 20th century.

        A real estate agent who lives in Cape Town, South Africa, Michael Simonow first came to Gers as a tourist and he regularly lives there. He fell in love with Flaran Abbey and decided to lend his staggering collection free of charge to the abbey, which is the Departmental Cultural Centre. Placed on show in temporary themed exhibitions, his paintings occupy the monks' dormitory in the abbey, which has been elegantly restored.

        Flaran Abbey, as part of the Flaran-Baïse-Armagnac collection, is one of the Great Tourist Sites in Midi-Pyrénées.
       
      Project co-financed by the European Union. Europe is partnering Midi-Pyrénées with the European Regional Development Fund.