PALAIS FESCH - MUSÉE DES BEAUX-ARTS

It is a major cultural space on the island. This palace was built in the Saint Roch district, by the sea, according to the instructions of Cardinal Joseph Fesch (1763-1839), maternal uncle of Napoleon I. For this great art collector, it was a question of creating an "Institute of Arts and Sciences" to educate young Corsicans. The plans for the building were entrusted to the architect Sylvestre Frasseto. Started in 1828, the construction of the palace was done in stages and was only completed during the Second Empire. In the centre of the courtyard stands the statue of Cardinal Fesch, the work of the Parisian sculptor Vital-Gabriel Dubray. Passionate about art, particularly the Italian primitives, the cardinal had assembled a monumental collection of 16,000 works. The collections of the Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Ajaccio are largely made up of the bequest of his collections by Cardinal Fesch: the museum has the most beautiful collection, just after that of the Louvre. Titian, Cosmè Tura, Raphaël, Bellini... with the masterpiece The Virgin andChild by Botticelli. Various donations and bequests subsequently enriched the collections of the Palais Fesch, including those of Félix Baciocchi (1866), the Duke of Treviso (1892), Jérôme Napoléon (1897) and the Rothschild family (1889 and 1909). The State made and continues to make its contribution by purchasing works. While the most represented works are Italian paintings from the 14th to the 18th century, there is also a collection of Corsican painters, the graphic arts cabinet and photography. In addition to the presentation of these exceptional collections, the Fesch Palace organizes guided tours, lectures, dance performances and concerts, workshops, literary events and national events, such as the Science Festival and Heritage Days. The north wing of the Palais Fesch houses the heritage room of the library of the city of Ajaccio and the south wing the imperial chapel. The presentation of the works, on three floors, is organised in chronological order, from the Italian Primitives to the Corsican painters of the 20th century, punctuated by key works by Botticelli, Titian, Veronese, Baron Gérard... Several visits are required!

On its website, the Palais Fesch presents commented videos of the museum's main works, which are also broadcast on the Via Stella TV channel. The series is produced in two languages: French and Corsican. An excellent introduction to the visit