Musée Denys-Puech, Art museum in Rodez, France
The musée des beaux-arts Denys-Puech is an art museum in Rodez, in southern France, that holds a collection of sculptures, paintings, and graphic works. The building has a straightforward, traditional appearance, with rooms designed for displaying art, along with a bookshop and a small gift shop.
The sculptor Denys Puech (1854–1942), winner of the prix de Rome in 1884, gave the city of Rodez a large collection of sculptures and drawings, then persuaded his friends Maurice Bompard and Eugène Viala to donate works as well. The building by architect André Boyer was inaugurated on 17 July 1910. Renovated and enlarged in the 1980s, it opened to contemporary art, and in 1989 François Morellet added facade integrations visible only from one precise angle.
The museum takes its name from sculptor Denys Puech, who was born in the Aveyron region and whose works form a central part of the collection. Walking through the galleries, visitors encounter sculpture, painting, and graphic art that reflect the artistic life of this part of southern France.
The museum stands in central Rodez, and its ground floor is given over to large glazed bays that light the sculpture collection. The interior and exterior of the building are protected in full by the city's heritage conservation plan. Visitors should confirm current opening arrangements with the museum before travelling.
The six yellow-lacquered bronze dogs on the facade consoles are Aurèle Ricard's 2005 series Tribute to Antonin Artaud, a public commission by the museum; the consoles had stood empty since André Boyer built the museum in 1910. François Morellet's 1989 Intégrations on the north and south facades appear only from one precise viewing angle and vanish as the visitor moves.
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