The Fabre Museum is Montpellier’s principal art museum and one of the largest museums in France. More than 5,000 works are housed here, including sculptures, paintings and drawings.
The museum’s collection was started in 1825 when French artist Francois Xavier Fabre donated his works to the city. Today, the collections cover numerous periods and styles such as European painting from the 14th to mid-18th century and Flemish and Dutch painting of the 17th century.
The museum is housed in a mansion that was built in 1775 and some of the rooms are decorated with period furniture. Explore exhibition halls spread across 99,000 square feet (9,200 square meters). Wander at random or take one of the self-guided thematic tours. Maps are available on the museum’s website and they cover such themes as nudes, heroes, flowers, angels and monsters.
Study Fauvist works from the 19th and 20th centuries. View works by the French Impressionist painter Frédéric Bazille, one of the leading talents of the 19th-century artistic movement. See the collection of ceramics from Greece and other European countries. Get acquainted with abstract art from the middle of the 20th century that was created by artists from the School of Paris. Visit the contemporary art wing to see modern works of art.
Among the museum’s many highlights are Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet by Gustave Courbet, Vue de Village by Frédéric Bazille, The Wrath of Achilles by François-Léon Benouville and the collection of black canvas pieces by Pierre Soulages.
The museum is open daily, except for Mondays and some public holidays. There is an admission fee with reduced prices for family tickets and discounts for students.
The Fabre Museum is next to the Notre Dame des Tables church just off the Place de la Comédie. Take a bus or tram to the plaza or park in its metered underground parking lot, then walk the rest of the way.
