Set in the heart of a remarkable architectural heritage, the Musée des Beaux-Arts du Pôle Culture Saint-Vaast is a veritable cultural nugget in the Hauts-de-France region. Home to an astonishingly rich collection, the museum invites you to journey through the centuries, from medieval to contemporary times, on three carefully organized levels. On each floor, visitors are transported into the town’s local history and Artois. The first level dates back to the 12th century and offers an overview of medieval works, the second floor is devoted to the 17th and 18th centuries, while the top level is dedicated to 19th-century treasures. In addition to this exceptional collection, access to the museum is free, with a direct connection to the town’s media library and archives. A true immersion in history and art, making this museum a must for any visit to Arras.
The museum is organized into three levels of collections
The Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Arras is home to a multitude of masterpieces from different artistic schools. You’ll be able to admire canvases from the French School and the Old Netherlands, with renowned artists such as Champaigne, Eugène Delacroix, Lebrun, Fragonard, Rubens, and even the great Pieter Brueghel the Elder. These works are witnesses to their time, reflecting artistic trends and developments in European painting. For lovers of 19th-century art, the museum also exhibits works by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Jules Breton, Camille Corot and Constant Dutilleux, offering a rich and diverse panorama of artistic evolution through the ages. In addition to paintings and sculptures, the museum also preserves valuable historical items, such as the tombs and stones of the ancient cathedral of Notre-Dame d’Arras. Visitors can also admire the famous Beaurains treasure, hangings, the two lions that once sat atop the Belfry, and works from the Arras school. The collection extends to natural history items, including a vast collection of taxidermied animals. The Musée d’Arras is therefore more than just a place to exhibit paintings; it is a veritable conservatory of the region’s historical and artistic heritage.
The museum’s first floor Upon entering the museum, visitors are greeted by one of the ancient lions that adorned the top of the Arras Belfry. Sculpted in the 19th century, these lions are symbols of the city’s power and grandeur. Another, better-preserved lion is on display further on in the abbey cloister. The presence of these lions in the museum is a reminder of the importance of the decorative arts in the ornamentation of Arras’ public buildings through the centuries. Continuing our visit on the first floor, we come across the two gilded angels from Saudemont, dating from the second half of the 13th century (1250-1270). These sculptures, acquired by the museum in 1958, feature features reminiscent of the iconography of the smiling angel in Reims Cathedral, underlining the influence of the artistic currents of the time. By exhibiting them, the Musée d’Arras captures the finesse and depth of medieval religious art.
Don’t miss a visit to the monks’ refectory, a vast room adjoining the media library. This refectory was the setting for the eight daily services performed by the monks: Matins, Lauds, Prime, Tierce, Sexte, None, Vespers and Compline. The majesty of this room testifies to the spiritual and material wealth of the abbey, as well as to the importance of monastic life in the city’s history. However, one of the jewels on the first floor is the collection of medieval works, featuring elements from local and religious life in the Artois region. These pieces are fragments of history, illustrating the development of the region during the Middle Ages.
The second level of the Musée d’Arras
Climbing the stairs to the second level, visitors enter the modern era. This level features numerous Baroque masterpieces, veritable windows on the centuries of French history. Among the most remarkable works is Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s Enumeration in Bethlehem, painted in 1566 and inspired by the Gospel of St. Luke. This painting, with its wealth of detail and depth of composition, illustrates the Flemish painter’s mastery and ability to capture biblical scenes in the context of everyday life. At the center of this level is the sumptuous Yellow Room, also known as the “Hall of the Mays”. This room houses seven of the fourteen Mays de Notre-Dame, vast canvases commissioned each year by the Confrérie des Orfèvres de Paris for the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. Produced as early as 1630, these works depict scenes from the lives of the apostles and are a major testimony to 17th-century religious art. The refinement of the colors and the complexity of the compositions will leave you in awe. The second level also features smaller rooms where you can admire other masterpieces. These include The Healing of the Paralytic by Jean Restout (1692-1768), an oil painting of rare intensity, depicting the biblical scene with profound sensitivity. The museum is not limited to painting. One room is devoted to works in ceramics, an art form that enjoyed great success in the region. In particular, the town of Arras was renowned for its blue ceramics, a skill passed on by local craftsmen such as Caudron.
The third level of the Musée d’Arras
The third level of the Musée d’Arras is a fascinating space that plunges visitors into the artistic world of the 19th century, a period rich in artistic and social upheaval. This was the era of Romanticism, Realism and then Impressionism, when artists sought to express emotions, nature and everyday life with a new sensibility. This level of the museum houses a variety of works, including collections taken from the reserves, such as animal taxidermy. Taxidermy was very popular at the time, reflecting the 19th-century craze for natural history and scientific curiosity. The naturalized animals presented in the museum show not only the attention paid to anatomical detail, but also the interest in the conservation of fauna, at a time when the exploration of the world and the discovery of new species fascinated both scholars and the general public. Among the highlights are Japanese ceramics from the collection ofEdmond Désiré Lecesne, featuring Imari porcelain.
This collection, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, bears witness to Europe’s fascination with Oriental art, particularly“Japonisme”, an artistic movement influenced by Japanese aesthetics. During this period, exchanges between East and West multiplied, and Japanese art, with its pure motifs, bright colors and elegant forms, inspired many European artists. Imari porcelain, with its rich floral motifs and red, blue and gold enamels, illustrates this influence and reveals the attraction of collectors for objects from the other side of the world. This section of the museum shows how European art drew on these new inspirations to create works with renewed aesthetic appeal.
The other central aspect of the third level is the collection of 19th-century paintings, which includes works by some of the great names in French painting. Among them, Le repos by Jules Breton is a particular highlight. Breton, a native of Arras, is known for his moving depictions of peasant life, capturing the simple, laborious beauty of the French countryside. His work exemplifies realism, an artistic movement of the time that sought to depict reality faithfully, without idealizing it. Visitors can also admire paintings by masters such asEugène Delacroix, whose passionate style embodies Romanticism, or works by Camille Corot, famous for his gentle, poetic landscapes. The museum also exhibits works by Fragonard, demonstrating the transition from 18th-century rococo to the new aesthetics of the 19th century. The paintings on display offer a rich panorama of the styles and themes of the century, reflecting the artistic, social and cultural evolutions of the period.
Where is the Arras museum ? Opening hours
To discover this exceptional museum, visit 22 Rue Paul Doumer in the town center, between the media library and the Légion d’Honneur garden, near the cathedral :
The museum is open to the public free of charge from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and is closed on Mondays. A visit of around two hours will allow you to explore all its treasures at your leisure, for a captivating journey to the heart of Arras’ history and art.
X.D.
