Entering the Fabre Museum, a step or two away from Place de la Comédie, means plunging into a wonderful world that is both far away and close at hand.
TOP TIP: with our 24, 48 and 72 hour City Cards, enjoy free admission to the Fabre Museum, including the Hotel Sabatier d´Espeyran: permanent collections, temporary exhibitions and individual guided tours. Book online or at the reception of the Tourist Office.
Entering the Fabre Museum, a step or two away from Place de la Comédie, means plunging into a wonderful world that is both far away and close at hand. Because this superb museum, opened in the early 19th century, featuring the collections of François-Xavier Fabre - a neo-classical painter who was taught by David - contains major works from the history of art and the best productions from the past 300 years by artists who had special links with Montpellier and the region.
Vien, Raoux, Bourdon, Fabre, Cabanel, Bazille, as well as Claude Viallat and Vincent Bioulès, are displayed side by side with Bruegel, Rubens, Veronese, Poussin, Ingres, Corot, Monet, Utrillo, Van Dongen and de Staël. And not forgetting a handful of portraits by David and Delacroix.
Through the museum's three levels, visitors advance through time, from Flemish and Dutch painting and the Italian Renaissance to the centuries of classicism and flamboyance. We pass from the Columns Gallery, where the large-scale paintings from the 18th century fill the ochre walls of an impressive space, to more intimate rooms, featuring NeoClassicism and Romanticism, Classicism and modern art. We are struck by the wild beauty of “Aspasie” by Eugène Delacroix, fascinated by the power of expression of “Bord de mer à Palavas” by Gustave Courbet, moved by the freshness of the “Jeune fille assise devant une fenêtre” by Berthe Morisot.
An intimate dialogue with superb paintings that were admired here by Gauguin and Van Gogh, and which is now completed with a contemporary section on the 1st floor, and on the top floor of the museum with its two exposed concrete rooms that were specially designed for works by Pierre Soulages, himself a keen visitor to the Fabre Museum when he was learning his art.The 9000 m2 in the museum mean that over 900 works are on permanent display.
Hôtel de Cabrières Sabatier d'Espeyran
The Decorative Arts department in the Hôtel de Cabrières Sabatier d’Espeyran boasts a rich collection from the 18th and 19th centuries. The collection at the Fabre Museum is among the most important fine arts collections in France and in Europe.
Opening hours
Musée Fabre : From Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm
Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d'Espeyran : From tuesday to Sunday from 2 to 6 pm
Closed on May 1rst, November 11th, December 24, 25th 2021, and January 1rst 2022. Closed at 4 pm on December 31rst.
As a young native of Aveyron, Pierre Soulages, the most famous French contemporary painter, regularly visited the Fabre Museum, and met his wife
there.
34 major paintings by the creator of Outrenoir, including some 20 works donated by the artist, give an overview of his career in 600m2 of specially designed rooms. A starting point before a visit to the Soulages Museum in Rodez and the stained-glass windows in the Conques abbey church, 2 hours away from Montpellier.
The Fabre Museum is offering a geo-localized application from October 10 to explore the history of medicine and art in Montpellier. A lively discovery of emblematic places and monuments in the history of medicine and pharmacy, carried out as part of the 800th anniversary of the Faculty of Medicine.
A fun proposition through scripted game routes, for a cultural walk, a moment shared with family or a game experience with friends.
3 game paths will be offered to you "free", "family" and "adventure"
The tourist office welcomes you from
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. / 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday,
10 a.m. to 1 p.m / 2 p.m to 5 p.m. Sunday and public holiday
Closed on December 25th and January 1rst
Our tourist information office
Lattes : +33 (0)7 72 43 65 08
