Founded after the French Revolution, the The Orléans Museum of Fine Arts was founded at the initiative of Jean Bardin., director of the city's drawing school, and Aignan-Thomas Desfriches, lord of La Cartaudière, draftsman, engraver, patron, and great collector. In 1797, he moved into the former episcopal palace before relocating two years later to the chapel of the former college. In 1823, the Count of Rocheplatte, mayor of Orléans, and his deputy and benefactor finally moved it to theHôtel des Créneaux, a magnificent 16th-century private mansion.
The history of this creation makes this museum one of the oldest in French history. His Its 1200 works also make it one of the richest museumsThis permanent collection covers a large part of European artistic creation, from the 15th to the 21st centuries. Alongside exceptional Old Master paintings from Italy, Flanders, and the Netherlands, there is a significant collection of 17th and 18th-century French works, 20th-century sculptures, and contemporary creations that prove that art continues to live and evolve.
World War II and German bombings caused widespread damage; the The museum eventually moved to a new building constructed in 1984 next to the Town Hall..
Today, The museum houses 2,000 paintings, 700 sculptures, 10,000 drawings and 50,000 prints.Alone or in partnership with other museums, the Orléans Museum of Fine Arts organizes numerous temporary exhibitions, thematic conferences, artistic creation workshops, and visual arts courses. A recent renovation has allowed for reopen the 19th century rooms in a completely redesigned journey. 350 works covering a period from 1815 to 1870 have been returned to their place in immersive rooms that take the visitor on a journey from the Italian countryside to Parisian salons.
Among the treasures on display at the museum, we should also mention the the presence of works by great French painters such as Hubert Robert, Philippe de Champaigne or Elisabeth Vigée Le BrunThe Northern School is also perfectly represented with Jan Brueghel the Elder, the Younger, Van Dyck, and numerous other painters illustrating the importance of the Renaissance in Flanders. Gauguin, Delacroix, Picasso, Courbet, Corot, and Chassériau are also well represented, demonstrating the diversity of the works on display and the themes explored.
