The largest collection of the artist’s work in the world
Plans for the Musée Soulages began in 2005, when Pierre Soulages and his wife, Colette, donated 250 works of art and a further 250 documents to his hometown of Rodez — then the largest donation by a living artist in France — followed by a second donation in 2012 and two further gifts since.
In 2014, the purpose-built museum opened in the renovated Foirail Park, a public garden. Close to 100 architects took part in a design competition for the new institution, with Catalan RCR Arquitectes in partnership with Passelac & Roques Architects winning with their design — a sequence of rectangular buildings faced with Corten steel. Changing over time with exposure to the elements, this cladding was chosen to echo the dark, earthy forms of Soulage’s work; inside, light is carefully controlled to create spaces to protect the more fragile works on paper.
The museum collection houses artworks from across Soulages’ career, spanning a range of media: nearly 100 paintings on paper, including the celebrated walnut stain works; paintings on canvas from 1946 to 2019; preparatory cartoons for the stained-glass windows the artist created at the Conques Abbey; and printed works, including etchings, lithographs and silkscreens. More than 1,700 square meters of gallery space is devoted to the permanent collection, with additional room for temporary exhibitions featuring modern and contemporary artists — in keeping with Soulages’ own wishes for a museum devoted to creation, especially with respect to other artists.
© RCR – musée Soulages - photothèque Rodez agglomeration, photo by A. Meravilles; © RCR – photothèque Rodez agglomération, photo by Jean-Louis Bories
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