Industrial · Architecture

Musée Réattu

Arles

Musée Réattu in Arles is an art museum housed in a former building on the Rhône quays that once served as the seat of the Prieuré hospitalier d’Arles. The site acquired its artistic vocation through Jacques Réattu, an Arlesian painter and Grand Prix de Rome winner in 1791, who bought the building to work there and host artists in residence. The museum passed into municipal ownership in 1868 and was classified as a monument historique in 1958.

Its collections include a large part of the work of Antoine Raspal, including the masterpiece Atelier de couture à Arles, as well as a collection of drawings by Picasso and photographic collections. The museum is also dedicated to photography and architecture. It opened to photography in France in 1965 through the initiative of Jean-Maurice Rouquette and Lucien Clergue, and architecture serves as a guiding theme in its development. The museum has also hosted temporary exhibitions, including Jeune peinture internationale in 1952, organized by curator Jacques Latour.

Map showing the location of Musée Réattu in Arles
Location of Musée Réattu in Arles

Nearby Objects

Collections and Focus

The Musee Reattu in Arles houses part of Jacques Reattu's artwork and also includes a collection of Picasso's drawings. In addition, the museum is dedicated to photography and architecture, giving it a broad cultural profile that combines painting, drawing, and other visual disciplines. These holdings and themes define the museum's public identity and place it within the artistic life of Arles.

From Priory to Art Museum

The building that became Musuee Reattu originally served as the seat of the Priory hospitalier d'Arles of the Langue de Provence of the Order of Saint-Jean de Jerusalem, at 10 rue du Grand-Prieure on the Rhone quays. Its artistic vocation came later, when the Arlesian painter Jacques Reattu, winner of the Grand Prix de Rome in 1791, purchased the building to work there and to host artists in residence. The museum entered municipal ownership in 1868, and it continued to serve as a venue for temporary exhibitions. In 1952, curator Jacques Latour organized the Jeune peinture internationale exhibition there, and Franz Priking had his first exhibition during that event. The building was classified as a monument historique in 1958.

Collections and Contemporary Focus

Musee Reattu is associated with a diverse set of collections and a curatorial approach that emphasizes contemporary dialogue with heritage. Its holdings include a large part of the work of the painter Antoine Raspal, including the masterpiece Atelier de couture a Arles by the Arlesian painter. The museum also houses a collection of drawings by Picasso and photographic collections. Photography entered the museum in France in 1965 through the initiative of Jean-Maurice Rouquette and Lucien Clergue. In 2007, the museum created the first sound art fund in a fine arts museum, in collaboration with Phonurgia Nova. It later gave carte blanche to Christian Lacroix in 2008 to appropriate the museum of his childhood. As part of a contemporary art policy, it invited sculptors, photographers, and sound artists to create works resonating with the city's heritage. Architecture is used as a guiding theme in the museum's development. The archives also hold a letter from Vincent Van Gogh to Paul Gauguin written in Arles, and the collections reference Van Gogh's 1888 painting of sunflowers in a vase on a yellow background, now at the National Gallery in London.