The Museon Arlaten-musée de Provence offers a completely new visitor experience among 3,500 objects, costumes and paintings, respecting the mistralian heritage and more than a century of museographic history. Thanks to a wide range of multimedia devices, it offers an almost infinite choice of possibilities for further exploration and discovery.
From the 18th century to multimedia
Founded in 1899 by Frédéric Mistral, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature and champion of the Provençal language and culture, the Museon Arlaten, “poet’s museum” and “museum of living life”, had been closed to the public since 2009.
While the dioramas, 18th, 19th and 20th century costumes, the Tarasque, festive objects, furniture and earthenware, shepherds, amulets and the works and spirit of Mistral are all still present, the scenography has been revisited to be as faithful to the original as possible, and to add a new historical depth. Visitors will also be able to discover the results of ethnographic surveys of contemporary Provence carried out by the museum’s teams.
Nearly sixty digital devices (videos, texts, readings in Provençal, sounds, games, music, multimedia creations and frescoes…) bring to life the Provence of yesteryear, and evoke the Provence of today.
A unique and inspired place
To cross the threshold of the Museon Arlaten is to enter a place shaped by two thousand years of history! The end of the Forum in Roman times (a series of Roman remains, an exedra, columns, a street, sidewalks and sidewalks are still visible in the museum courtyard), an aristocratic residence during the Renaissance, a Jesuit college from the 17th to 18th centuries, prison and place of debate under the French Revolution, then college again, then museum, today renovated, the Museon Arlaten is a major witness to Arles’ architecture and history from Antiquity to the 21st century.
Thanks to the renovation, two major new architectural features have been added to enhance the visit:
– the grand staircase, designed by renovation architect Michel Bertreux (agence Tetrarc), is enhanced by two creations by Christian Lacroix. Covering all floors, the decor was conceived by the great Arles designer as “a gesture of gratitude and love” for the Museon Arlaten’s collections, freely assembled and recomposed in two large backlit glass totems.
– the completely restored Chapelle des Jésuites is finally attached to the museum, providing a sumptuous setting and volume for temporary exhibitions.
The Museon Arlaten-Musée de Provence is an essential stop-off point on any journey to discover the treasures of the city of Arles, for its location, its collections, its journey through time and its contemporary outlook.
Conditions of access :
The Museon Arlaten has numerous facilities for people with special needs. Find out more online:
https://www.museonarlaten.fr/un-musee-accessible-a-tous
Please note: visitors can leave their small luggage at the entrance.
