Musée de Louviers, History and art museum in Louviers, France.
The musée de Louviers occupies a pale-beige stone building with a dark grey mansard roof and a small central clock under an arched pediment. A round-arched double wooden door with glass panels, reached by a short stone stair, sits below a three-bay stone balustrade balcony; paired columns frame the centre and two niches hold pale busts. It adjoins a brick building with tall windows.
The museum was established in 1872 and opened to the public in 1888, built on the grounds of a former convent following architect Georges-Paul Roussel's design. This founding period coincided with a broader movement across France to preserve and exhibit local artistic treasures.
The museum's ceramics collection centres on Rouen and Nevers faience from the Renaissance to the 19th century, alongside furniture and paintings. Temporary shows are held each year in the Galerie des Éphémères, covering local heritage, history and contemporary art, with exhibitions designed to be viewed at children's height.
The museum stands on Place Ernest-Thorel, on the site of part of the former Saint-Louis convent; the entrance is reached by a short stone stair. Temporary exhibitions are held each year in the Galerie des Éphémères, covering local heritage, history and contemporary art, alongside the permanent collections.
The museum's 1888 catalogue was signed by its first curator, the painter Paul de Saint-Martin, a pupil of Paul Delaroche. Among the sculptures is Ernest-Eugène Chrétien's marble bust of Édouard Lanon, dated 1884, placed on the museum facade. A burglary struck the museum in 1907.
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