Bonjour Monsieur Fabre!By Georges RouzeauRenovated, restored and enlarged, the Musée Fabre in Montpellier has returned to an eminent position which is only normal considering the wealth of its collection comprising exceptional sets of paintings by Courbet, Bazille and now Soulages. Architect Emmanuel Nebout and the Bordeaux agency Brochet-Lajus-Peyo shared this considerable worksite that lasted four years and cost 62.7 million euros. Nearly 800 works - in other words 300 more than previously - are now exhibited over more than 9,200 sq. m. The museum was created in 1828 thanks to the legacy of the painter François-Xavier Fabre. First located in the fine 18th century town mansion Massilian, it progressively annexed a Jesuit college, a library and even part of the neighbouring block. The renovation specifications were clear: lay out the areas anew, create a new wing for the contemporary period, improve the circulation and reception of visitors, attain the rank of cultural institutions presenting international exhibitions. Painted ceilings, trompe l'oeil marble, skirting boards, mouldings, cornices and the neoclassical decor as a whole have been freshened up. At the same time, a visitor reception area has been excavated under the courtyard of the Jesuit college and takes the form of a large cube of grey concrete. Above, the grey marble slabs of the entrance courtyard are decorated with a mosaic by the famous Daniel Buren. The collectionsReorganised, the collections of the Musée Fabre are world-class. It is a pleasure to see again the Dutch classics like Teniers, Steen or Metsu, the Zurbaráns, Véronèses and Poussins of the Fabre collection, and the Courbets and Delacroix donated by Alfred Bruyas*. As for contemporary works, apart from the Nîmois Claude Bioulès and the Montpelliérain Claude Viallat, colleagues of the Support/Surface movement, we hail the arrival with much pomp of Pierre Soulages, dubbed maître du noir (master of black), who has been allocated his own rooms. *Bearded and red-haired, this character is familiar to art buffs: it is he who greets Courbet in the painting Bonjour Monsieur Courbet.  1 2 3 4 5 6    Practical informationMusée Fabre 39, boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle 34000 Montpellier Tel.:04 67 14 83 00, fax: 04 67 66 09 20. Tramway lines 1 and 2, get off at Comédie or Corum. Opening times: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 11 p.m. to 6 p.m.. Closed Mondays, 1 January, 1 May, 11 November and 25 December. |
Tourism and Gastronomy
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