Agen museum is home to art and artifacts

Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen is situated in the heart
of Agen, the préfecture of the Lot-et-Garonne.

Thousands of pieces — from archaeological artifacts to art — are housed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Agen (musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen). The museum was founded by Agen scholars and amateur collectors in 1876. We’ve been to the Lot-et-Garonne’s préfecture city many times on business or to shop, but we only recently manage to make our first visit to the museum.

Comprised of four Renaissance townhouses, the interior of
musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen is a special setting for the art it contains.

The museum’s collection is housed in four Renaissance townhouses mostly dating from the 16th century: Hôtel d’Estrades, Hôtel de Vaurs, Hôtel Vergès, and Hôtel Monluc. The houses were built at the edge of Agen’s old city wall. The museum entrance is on Place D’Esquirol.

Marble staircases and hallways link the Renaissance
townhouses that comprise musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen.

Through the centuries, the townhouses have been altered and restored, so only part of the original features are visible. However, it’s clear as we wind our way through hallways and up and down stairs, that we are inside a special part of Agen’s history.

A sarcophagus is on display at musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen.

Our visit starts with Romanesque and Gothic pieces from the Middle Ages, including a funerary monument, sculptures and a Gobelins tapestry from the 17th century.

Vierge de Pietie from the 15th century is on display at
musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen.

In the basement, we explore archaeological artifacts and a room dedicated to mineralogy. These dark caves were once prisons.

Ancient artifacts from the area are on display at musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen.

A room at musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen is dedicated to
mineral treasures from around the world.

The caves beneath musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen were prisons
between 1765 and 1861.

We head up to the first floor where the museum’s collection of paintings, sculptures and furniture is housed. The styles are broad: Flemish, Dutch, Italian and French (naturellement!). Of special pride to the museum are five works by the Spanish painter Francisco Goya (1746-1828). The museum is one of only a few French museums to display Spanish paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Allegresse by Marmande painter Abel-Dominique Boyé (1864-1934)
is on display at musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen.

An unknown 19th-century artist painted this view of Agen from
the stone bridge, on display at musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen.

Among the art are pieces of rare furniture and decorative objects including ceramics and earthenware.

Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen contains an impressive collection of
 ceramics and decorative objects.

Visitors to musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen can peek inside an antique piano.

Hospital artifacts are displayed at musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen.

If visitors to musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen ignore the signs asking them
to not sit on the antique chairs, then this prickly plant may make the point.

Contemporary art is not ignored here. A generous amount of space is allocated to modern French artists with entire rooms dedicated to Agen-born François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008), and Villeréal-born Roger Bissière (1886-1964).

A sculpture by François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008) is on display
in a room dedicated to him at musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen.

A sculpture by Jean-Didier Debut (1824-1893) is on display
at musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen.

Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Agen is open all-year round; closed on Tuesdays and holidays. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed for lunch between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m.). Regular admission is 5.60 €, children are free.

A capital idea: Time in Agen

Pont Canal spans the Garonne river in Agen. This water bridge, part of
the Channel of the Two Seas, has 23 arches and is the second longest
channel-bridge in France.

Each year, we make our annual pilgrimage to Agen, the capital of the Lot-et-Garonne, to apply for our visa renewal. The process gets simpler each year; the people at the bureau des étrangers are so nice and seem to remember us from year-to-year. This time, nous profitons de l'ensolleillment and explore the city before meeting some friends for an Indian lunch.

Agen (pop. 34,000) has its origin in pre-Roman times when the people living there, the Nitiobroges, called their home Aginnum. Several invasions ensued, and starting in the 11th century, Agen fell under the reign of the Dukedom of Aquitaine. The region then spent 300 years going back and forth between French and English control. The city was swept up in accusations of heresey and stake-burning; the last Cathar bishop was one notable victim.

 

Mosaïque Gallo-Roman in Agen

Agen's most famous resident was Nostradamus, who moved there in 1531 to practice medicine. During the Wars of Religion, Agen was a loyal Catholic stronghold. Beginning in the late 1600s, Agen prospers because of its location on the Garonne river and the Canal du Midi.

Much of Agen's prosperity is found in prunes; sailors crossing back and forth between Europe and the New World ate the dried plums to avoid scruvy. Pruneau d'Agen eventually became the city's emblem and remains an important commodity in this rural city.

The house that prunes built

Arcade in Corniïres neighborhood, once Agen's commercial center and
still bustling with shops and restaurants

Today, Agen has more than 30 historical buildings and monuments. Musée des Beaux Arts is a complex of four former 15th- and 16th-century mansions. Next door is Théâtre Doucourneau, a beautiful stone building. And Agen's Hôtel de Ville is located just across Place du Esquirol.

Musée des Beaux Arts in Agen

Théâtre Doucourneau in Agen

Detail on Théâtre Doucourneau in Agen

Entering just about every church we come upon is nearly obligatory — and good luck, according to ma belle-mère. I am stunned, however, by the beautiful, colorful interior of Saint Caprais Cathedral. Major restoration has been done on the church, which was built in the 11th and 12th centuries.

Saint Caprais Cathedral in Agen

Architectural detail on the exterior of Saint Caprais Cathedral

Once an island in the Garonne, the Gravier was already an esplanade in the Middle Ages. Countless parades, fairs and markets have taken place here, as well as courtships, sports and duels. The Gravier is always our first and last stop when we go to Agen — it offers the best free parking in town.

Passerelle, a chain suspension footbridge over the
Garonne river in Agen

The Gravier esplanade along the Garonne in Agen

Skateboard park in Agen's Gravier area

Delightful surprises seem to pop out of nowhere in Agen. I am quite fond of the tilework on the building that houses Galleries Lafayette. And I'm a sucker for city gardens, so our morning in Agen, passing the time before lunch, goes by quickly and leaves more to explore next time we're here.

 

Architectural detail on Galleries Lafayette in Agen

Water feature at les jardins de Tanneries

Corner building at Place des Laitiers in Agen

Inside Agen's covered marketplace

Jasmin Placehonors Jacques Jasmin (née Boé), an Occitan
poet born in Agen.

Agen's train station

A note on Agen history: I gleaned much information for this post from the helpful SOUTHWESTstory website.