Museum Calvet in Avignon

The Calvet Museum is dedicated to fine arts. It is a listed museum known for the diversity and value of its collections. It is housed in the "Hôtel de Villeneuve-Martignan", a splendid mansion built in the 18th century, considered by many to be the most beautiful mansion in Avignon.

The museum was built around the collection of Esprit Calvet, a doctor of the 18th century, a fine spirit, brilliant adept of the Age of Enlightenment : he made a donation of his "cabinet of curiosities", holding 12,000 items, to the city of Avignon. His collections cover all domains of Art in the 18th century, and some domains of Science : painting, sculpture, goldsmithing and silversmithing, but also archeology and ethnology.

With time passing, the Calvet Museum's collections have been completed with private legacies, donations and State's deposits. Only a part of the collection is shown, so the Museum Calvet regularly offers very interesting temporary exhibitions.

The diversity and eclecticism of the collections characterise the Calvet Museum, but the paintings are, by their number, value and quality, the main part of the visit. A wing of the mansion is dedicated to sculpture, goldsmithing and silversmithing.

The collection of paintings presents artworks from the 16th to the 20th century, with predilection for classicism and Romanticism. It gives a quality panorama about art of those periods, with masterpieces of French painters such as Nicolas Mignard, Horace Vernet or Jacques-Louis David. Provençal artists are also represented, as well as painting masters from the Italian, Spanish and Flemish schools. A room is specially dedicated to the 20th century paintings.

You can appreciate the outstanding architecture of this 18th-century mansion dedicated to fine arts. The museographic scenery exalts the artworks, keeping them close to the visitor.

Contact

Coming to the Musée Calvet

GPS coordinates : N 43.947, E 4.80343