One of the premier museums in Europe, with a world best collection of drawings. When I was living in France, I spent numerous hours in the Museum copying Ingres masterpieces, amongst others. Unfortunately, the Museum has been closed to the public since April 2011(11 years ago!) following a rain storm that breached the roof and damaged some artworks. Thereafter the Museum reconstruction was considered low priority, either by the city fascinated by its rugby persona or by the successive directors, happy to loan the collections outside the museum.
During my last trip to Bayonne in October 2019 prior to Covid, I was told about the sensible plan to re-open the Museum in stages, first by building an extension using the ground of a closed school nearby to accommodate some of the artworks then proceed with the extensive re-construction of the main building prior to re-opening the Museum with double the size. Unfortunately, the work has been delayed, and the re-opening planned for 2021 then 2022 is now scheduled for 2024 at the earliest. It seems that the City [promoting Bayonne as a 'City of the Arts'] is finally serious about the project. In the meantime, I will admire the drawings posted on-line by 3rd parties, as the Museum does not seem to have its own dedicated web presence.
Vince, Berkeley, Californie read more