The Musée des Beaux-Arts of Bordeaux (External link) exhibits works from the biggest names in European art, as well as artists from Bordeaux, coming from several periods of time and various schools.
Above all else, this museum offers a magnificent panorama on plastic arts spanning the period between the 15th and 20th Centuries.
The Musée des Beaux-Arts of Bordeaux, which went through some major renovation in 2013, highlights over 500 paintings from artists representing the following schools:
- European (18th Century)
- Flemish and Dutch (17th Century)
- Italian (16th and 17th Century)
- French (17th and 18th Century)
- German and English (17th Century)
Sculptures originating from Europe are also displayed throughout the museum.
A museum in three places
This museum has the unique trait of being separated into three separate places: The North and South Galleries, which surround the majestic gardens of the Bordeaux city hall, and, not much further on, the Gallery of Beaux-Arts.
The north wing is dedicated to modern and contemporary art, presenting the main themes of the 19th Century (romanticism, academicism, and realism), landscapes (Corot, Diaz de la Peña, Boudin), animal paintings (Bonheur, Princeteau) and portraits (Couture, Carolus-Duran, Fantin-Latour Morisot).
The south wing is devoted to some older collections from the 16th to the 18th Century. See: Phèdre et Hippolyte (1815) by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin or Virgin of Pity by Hans Clot, the oldest piece in the museum, dated 1469!
The Gallery of Fine Art, with its 30s architecture, hosts temporary exhibitions 3 times a year.
Essential works from Art History
The Musée des Beaux-Arts is a must for those wishing to admire the essential creations from Art History.
Among other works to admire, those of Perugino, Velvet Brueghel, Pietro da Cortona, Van Dyck, Van Goyen, Rubens, Chardin, Magnasco, Corot, Delacroix, Matisse, Kokoschka... Not to mention artists from Bordeaux like Odilon Redon (Symbolism), Albert Marquet (Fauvism) and André Lhote (Cubism).
Addresses
Musée des Beaux-Arts (collections permanentes)
20, cours d'Albret
33 000 Bordeaux
Galerie des Beaux-Arts (expositions temporaires)
Place du Colonel Raynal
33 000 Bordeaux