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Roger Quilliot Art Museum
Description
MARQ Auvergne Métropole is housed in a former Ursuline convent. Its luminous architectural and museographic redesign from the 1990s is a showcase for high-quality heritage works, exhibitions and cultural activities for all.
The Musée des Beaux-Arts, located in Clermont-Ferrand, boasts a vast collection of paintings, sculptures and decorative arts, spanning from the medieval period to the 20th century. With over 750 works on display, the museum presents a chronological and educational tour that highlights artistic developments.
Medieval collections
The museum exhibits unique pieces of Romanesque and Gothic art from Auvergne, including the Virgins in Majesty, a rare 13th-century painting (the Frise des abbés d'Ennezat) and the Savaron casket. Masterpieces also include Léonard Sarson's Athena, a Volvic stone sculpture emblematic of the Auvergne Renaissance.
17th and 18th centuries
Among the major works, MARQ presents a group of portraits, such as Philippe de Champaigne's Vincent Voiture, as well as a remarkable series of 12 large decorative paintings illustrating Ariosto's Roland Furieux. The collection also includes works by Jacques Blanchard, and objets d'art such as 17th-century cabinets and Clermont-Ferrand earthenware.
19th century
Neoclassicism and Auvergne landscapes are represented by artists such as Thomas Degeorge, Théodore Rousseau, Camille Corot and Victor Charreton. The museum also exhibits Orientalist works by Prosper Marilhat and Jean-Victor Schnetz, as well as historical paintings by Théodore Chassériau and Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. Portrait lovers will appreciate artists such as Géricault and Rodin.
20th century
The tour continues with works from the 1920s-1960s, featuring figurative painters such as Marie Laurencin, Bernard Buffet and Jean Fautrier. In addition, the museum will soon house the textile collections currently housed at the Musée Bargoin.
Come and discover the Musée d'Art Roger-Quilliot's must-see works in an exceptional setting, open to art enthusiasts from all walks of life.
Technical Information
Altimetric profile
Additional information
Open period
All year round on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 10 am and 6 pm. Weekends between 10 am and 1 pm and between 2 pm and 6 pm.
Closed exceptionally on January 1st, May 1st, November 1st and December 25th.
Exceptionally closed on December 24, 25 and 31.
Updated by
Clermont Auvergne Volcans - 24/06/2026
www.clermontauvergnevolcans.com
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Price(s)
Adult: 5 €
Reduced price: 3 € (60+, Cézam card, groups of 10 or more, Duo visit.).
Free admission all year round for young people up to 18 years of age. (up to 21 for Pass Culture Jeune holders)
Free admission for the general public:
- Every first Sunday of the month
- For European Museum Night in May and European Heritage Days" in September.
Contact
Phone : 04 43 76 25 25
Email : accueil.marq@clermontmetropole.eu
Website : https://www.clermontmetropole.eu/bouger-se-divertir/le-dynamisme-culturel/les-musees-de-clermont-auvergne-metropole/marq-musee-dart-roger-quilliot/
Tips
Take time to start your visit in the central cloister, the architectural heart of the museum, which offers an overview of the collections spread over several levels. As MARQ is organized according to major themes (Middle Ages, Renaissance, modern paintings, contemporary works...), it may be a good idea to focus on a particular period or tour according to your desires. The upper floors often offer interesting views of the museum's volumes and certain monumental works.
Don't forget to take a look at the temporary exhibitions or the mediation offered (audioguides, workshops, guided tours), which regularly renew your discovery of the collections.
Promotional offers
Reduced admission on presentation of your ClermontPass (€3 instead of €5).
History, culture and heritage
Housed in the former Ursuline convent (17thᵉ century), the Musée d'Art Roger-Quilliot underwent a major architectural transformation in the 1980s-1990s to become a contemporary museum. The project, entrusted to architects Claude Gaillard and Adrien Fainsilber, profoundly reinvented the volumes of the historic building while respecting its original structure. The result is a fluid museum experience organized around a vast central atrium, the backbone of the museum.
This atrium is topped by a spectacular glass roof designed by engineer Peter Rice, an international figure renowned for his work with Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers.
The MARQ glass roof, conceived as a light, bold structure, evokes, depending on the visitor, an umbrella turned by the wind, a spider's web or an unfurling palm tree.
It symbolizes the meeting of ancient heritage and technical innovation, bringing natural light into the heart of the cloister and offering an open, monumental space that unifies the entire tour.
The refurbishment has transformed a historic monastic complex into a modern museum, where works of art - from the Middle Ages to the present day - find an architectural setting that subtly combines the memory of the place with contemporary creation.
Location complements
Bus T2C, "Musée d'Art Roger-Quilliot" stop, Tram line A and bus lines 20, 21, 25, 31, 33, C-Vélo station.
Animals
No
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