Musee Calvet description and photos - France: Avignon (Topic)

Musee Calvet description and photos - France: Avignon. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Musee Calvet.

Photo and description

On the site of the current Museum of Calvet, there was a cardinal residence - Livre de Cambre, named after Cardinal Pierre D'Ailly, Bishop de Cambre, who once lived here. In 1719, the building was sold to Francois-Rene de Villeneuve, the Marquis d'Arzellier and the lord de Martignan.

In 1734, his son Jacques-Ignace de Villeneuve decided to expand his possessions and build a new palace. The construction was started under the direction of Thomas Laine, but then it was replaced by architects Jean-Baptiste Frank and Francesco Frank. Construction work was completed only in 1749. In 1802, the mansion was bought by the merchant Deletre, who, in turn, leased the building to the Avignon authorities in order to house the Esprit Calvet collections here. On March 3, 1833, the building was purchased by the municipality of Avignon as a museum. Since October 1, 1963, the city mansion of Villeneuve-Martinan has been included in the list of historical monuments in France.

One of the largest collections of French paintings is kept here. The collection was started by the local physician (numismatist, bibliophile and archaeologist) Aspri Calvet, and later, in 1810, he bequeathed his collections and library to the museum of painting. The exhibits of the museum are works of applied art, sculpture, porcelain, but the painting department, which covers the period from the 16th to the 20th centuries, from Vasari and Luca Giordano to David, Corot, Manet, Soutine and Bonnard, is of particular interest.

Here, the town mansion of Villeneuve-Martinan, to which modern buildings were added, houses the main collection. Calvet's library and a significant collection of almost 12,000 coins and medals were transported to another location in the city.

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Topic: Musee Calvet description and photos - France: Avignon.