Museum of Fine Arts with the largest European collection of works by Maximiliel Luce, in the former Hôtel-Dieu in Mantes
Next door to the Collegiate Church, the former medieval Hôtel-Dieu now houses a fine arts museum. In the 14th century, this hospital was administered by the Church and welcomed the poor, pilgrims, the sick and orphans. It was one of the city's most important institutions and, in the 12th century, was endowed with a fine classical-style chapel. Its façade, with a large door surmounted by an oculus, is decorated with floral garlands and putti. Completed in 1675, it is now a listed building. The Hôtel-Dieu gradually lost its functions during the French Revolution, before being disused in 1854 and sold in lots. Its cultural history then began, as it became home to a ballroom, a photographic society and, in 1912, Mantais' first cinema, Le Palace. The city acquired the site in 1962 and began transforming it into a museum. Inaugurated in 1996, it is still the only art museum in the community. It houses a major repository of medieval sculpture and stained glass, as well as Europe's largest collection of works by Maximilien Luce (1858-1941). All facets of Luce's work are on display, from his early neo-impressionist works with his friends Paul Signac, Georges Seurat and Camille Pissarro, through his paintings of the First World War and his beautiful landscapes of Normandy and Brittany, to the peaceful landscapes he painted in the Mantois region. On the top floor, the museum presents two or three exhibitions a year.
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Belle exposition de tableaux de l artiste Luce