Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours

Tours, France

The Musée des beaux-arts de Tours (Museum of Fine Arts of Tours) is located in the bishop's former palace, near the cathedral St. Gatien, where it has been since 1910. It displays rich and varied collections, including that of painting which is one of the first in France both in quality and the diversity of the works presented.

In the courtyard, there is a magnificent cedar of Lebanon and and a stuffed elephant in a building in front of the museum. This elephant was killed because of a bout of madness during a circus parade by the "Barnum & Bailey" circus in the streets of Tours on 10 June 1902.

The museum has over 12,000 works but only 1,000 are on show to the public. On the ground floor, the museum has a room especially dedicated to Tours art of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The museum was classified as a monument historique on 27 June 1983.

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Rue Lavoisier 53, Tours, France
See all sites in Tours

Details

Founded: 1910
Category: Museums in France

More Information

www.musees.regioncentre.fr
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Tours Cathedral (0 km)
Tours Old Town (0,9 km)
Basilica of St. Martin (0,9 km)
Church of St. Julien (0,5 km)
Château de Tours (0,2 km)
Château de Plessis-lez-Tours (2,9 km)
Marmoutier Abbey (1,9 km)


Château de Chenonceau (29,4 km)
Château d'Amboise (22 km)
Château de Villandry (14,8 km)
Château d'Azay-le-Rideau (22,9 km)
Château de Chaumont (37,8 km)
Château de Chinon (42,8 km)
Château d'Usse (34,4 km)
Clos Lucé (22,5 km)
Château de Langeais (23,1 km)

User Reviews

Salina Consultants Co. Pte., Ltd (8 months ago)
Nice collection of art with a beautiful garden
Douglas Wong (8 months ago)
Sorry it's closed today Thursday December 20. Missed it.
Ayesha Ahmad (15 months ago)
It is an interesting place for art lovers and history buffs. Some interesting old paintings of Tours are also on display. Get your students id for discounted tickets. Artist might also get discounts. Parking can be difficult to find as it's usually full due the museum being in the city centre. This place has a lot of stairs and the museum is quite big. Can be a problem for people with wheelchair. Get a bottle of water too on hot days as there is no air conditioning.
RON TANZI (2 years ago)
A large number of quality paintings dating from 14th c. to 19th c. Highlights are works by the Italian Renaissance master, Mantegna and French Rococo artist, Boucher. Get a layout map to avoid being confused by multiple stairways.
Alexandre Muller (2 years ago)
A nice museum to visit, cheap (or even free on the first Sunday of the month) and not too long. The parc is also a nice place to have a walk.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Best of Middle Rhine Valley, Germany
Photo from Flickr, copyright eiljot

Historic Site of the week

Sirmione Castle

Sirmione castle was built near the end of the 12th century as part of a defensive network surrounding Verona. The castle was maintained and extended first as part of the Veronese protection against their rivals in Milan and later under the control of the Venetian inland empire. The massive fortress is totally surrounded by water and has an inner porch which houses a Roman and Medieval lapidary. From the drawbridge, a staircase leads to the walkways above the walls, providing a marvellous view of the harbour that once sheltered the Scaliger fleet. The doors were fitted with a variety of locking systems, including a drawbridge for horses, carriages and pedestrians, a metal grate and, more recently, double hinged doors. Venice conquered Sirmione in 1405, immediately adopting provisions to render the fortress even more secure, fortifying its outer walls and widening the harbour.

Thanks to its strategical geographical location as a border outpost, Sirmione became a crucial defence and control garrison for the ruling nobles, retaining this function until the 16th century, when its role was taken up by Peschiera del Garda.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2019 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.