Musée d’art et d’archéologie d’Aurillac, Art and archaeology museum in Aurillac, France

The Musée d'art et d'archéologie occupies a 17th-century former convent on rue des Carmes and displays paintings, sculptures, and artifacts from local excavations spread across several floors. The spaces feature everything from ancient Roman objects to more recent regional artwork.

The museum began in 1853 with the creation of the Musée des peintures, directed by the Aurillac painter Éloy Chapsal (1811-1882). Its collections were regrouped in several locations in the town before being installed in 1992 in the 17th-century former Visitandine convent, which had served as a national stud farm until the 1980s. Closed in September 2023 for restructuring, it reopened on 23 June 2024 with new collections, part of them from the Muséum des volcans.

The museum's name recalls its 1853 origin as the Musée des peintures, founded under the Aurillac painter Éloy Chapsal, whose works fill part of the galleries. A reconstructed interior of an old Cantal home shows how households were furnished, while temporary shows have ranged from cinema to the history of colour photography.

The museum stands at 37 rue des Carmes, in the former Visitandines convent. It is open from Sunday to Friday, 11am to 6pm, and closed on Saturdays. It shut in September 2023 for restructuring and reopened on Sunday 23 June 2024 with new collections, part of them from the Muséum des volcans.

The Gallo-Roman ciste from the temple of Aron in Aurillac, dating to the 1st century, still holds its glass urn in near-perfect condition. The museum also keeps a bust of Rodin made by Camille Claudel, a work often missed among the paintings.