MUSEUM OF ARTS AND FIGURES OF THE CENTRAL PYRENEES SAINT GAUDENS

About

Open to all free of charge from March to December, the museum was completely refurbished in 2018. Situated in the heart of the town of Saint-Gaudens, in a neoclassical building dating from 1875, it mainly showcases the fine earthenware and porcelain produced by the Fouque et Arnoux factory.

Visitors can (re)discover pieces long known as ‘Valentine blue’, produced by the Fouque and Arnoux factory in Saint-Gaudens, which operated between 1831 and 1864. Indeed, for 32 years, Fouque and Arnoux and their 400 workers produced porcelain in Saint-Gaudens! Before setting up there, they had been working with earthenware since 1808 at Place Saint-Sernin in Toulouse.

As the region has been home to many artists, you will also encounter the work of Saint-Gaudens-born Jean-André Rixens (1846–1925), with around thirty of his paintings displayed across the two rooms dedicated to him.

Every year, the team organises a major temporary exhibition across the entire third floor, with views of the Pyrenees. From 1 April to 23 December 2026, the most surprising objects from the collections are on display in ‘(Extra)ordinary, our collections?’, showcased through an intuitive, educational and colourful exhibition route.

Also in 2026, the museum hosted two further exhibitions devised in close collaboration with its partners: the illustrator Maria Jalibert as part of the Vitamine L children’s literature festival in April, and Thibault Gaudry, a visual artist in residence at the DITEP L’Essor Jean Plaquevent in Saint-Ignan and at the Chapelle Saint-Jacques Centre for Contemporary Art in Saint-Gaudens.

Stay up to date: during each school holiday, a bespoke programme is organised by the museum’s visitor services team (€2 per activity).