Musée Denys-Puech

The Denys-Puech Museum is a fine arts museum that deals mostly with sculpture from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Originally a museum that focussed essentially on the academic heritage of Denys Puech, it changed direction and moved towards the contemporary creations now on show. It serves as a bridge between the past and the present.

The architectural setting conceived by Denys Puech…
From 1903, the sculptor Denys Puech had the idea of turning Rodez into “a haven for art from the Aveyron”. Having offered a large collection of sculptures and drawings to the city, he convinced his friends, the orientalist painter Maurice Bompard (1857-1935) and the engraver Eugène Viala (1858-1913), to donate several of their works which would form the basis of the future museum.

Working alongside the artist, the architect André Boyer drew up the plans for the museum. One facade features large bay windows that light the ground floor where the sculptures are displayed. A sweeping staircase leads to the first floor where intitially paintings were exhibited. The museum was inaugurated in 1910.

A museum that is open to contemporary artwork
Renovated and enlarged during the 1980’s, the museum maintains its identity as a fine arts institution while at the same time embracing contemporary art. This open-minded approach is illustrated by the installation “Cercle et carré” (Circle and Square) on the two gables of the building produced by the artist François Morellet during the renovation, a work that gently mocks the architecture of André Boyer. In 2005, six yellow dogs made of bronze by the artist Aurèle mounted their pedestals. They decorate the front of the building and visibly affirm the dual identity of the Denys-Puech Museum which celebrates the fine arts of the nineteenth century with the same enthusiasm as it welcomes contemporary art and creation.

The Denys-Puech museum maintains its identity as a Fine Arts museum while embracing contemporary art at the same time. The collections and exhibitions are spread over three floors. On the ground floor you can visit the permanent collections linked to Denys Puech and his friends Maurice Bompard and Eugène Viala. In the basement and on the first floor there are alternating temporary exhibitions that draw from the modern and contemporary collections of the museum.
Through its programming, the museum presents itself both as a place dedicated to heritage conservation and artistic education, and as a space open to contemporary creation.